Hummus - South beach diet phase 1 dip

I tasted hummus for the first time in UK and I am an addict to it since then. I used to buy it from Tesco (Supermarket) in bulk and store it for weeks together until I learnt its recipe from my Arabian friend "A". Thats when I realised that it is such a simple, straight forward and nutritious dish. Apart from chickpeas, it requires another special ingredient called Tahini (sesame paste)
When I planned to make this for the first time in India, I had my doubts about the Tahini sold here. So I immediately rang to my lovely Chech in Dubai to get that for me when she is coming down in august. She very obediently got me a bottle of Tahini and I express my thanks to her through this post and also "love u loads Chech"!!!! (hugs n smiles).

Boiled chickpeas are the main ingredient used in it. They are rich in fibre and have been proven to lower the body cholesterol. You can get them in different colors (black, brown n red) but I chose the beige one today. You can make it from any colored chick pea but my personal choice would be the beige one.It is the chickpea paste which gives the dish a creamy and silky texture. The dash of garlic adds a lovely flavor to it and the olive oil gives it a glossy look. Bit n pieces of finely chopped mint leaves provides a refreshing taste to your tongue.I am sure you guys will love it to bits!
I made this dip as an evening snack. I didnt have pitta bread/baquette at home, so I used toasted bread slices (golden brown colour) instead. It did taste really great.
The best tasty things in life are so simple to make!!! n yeeeaaah this Middle eastern dip is one such dish. Here is the recipe for it.



Ingredients

• 250gm Chickpeas - boiled
• 1-2 tsp pepper powder
• 3 tablespoons tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves - crushed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tsp finely chopped mint /parsley
• salt

Method

• Soak the raw chickpea in water overnight.Transfer them to the pan and add about 3 cups of water.
• Pressure cook them for 4 whistles. Check whether the chickpeas are soft. Cool them.
• Drain the water completely.
• Grind them along with garlic pods, olive oil and little water into a fine thick paste. Use its boiled water itself for grinding them.
• Add the lemon juice and tahini. Add the salt and pepper.
• Whisk it until its all well combined.
• Drizzle few drops of olive oil and fold in the mint/parsley. Store it in fridge.
• Serve cold with baquette/ toasted pitta bread / crisply toasted local bread.