Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

 

          Hummus is a popular dip/spread in the Middle-East. It is made from chickpeas pureed with tahini(sesame seed paste), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C, and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and fibre, tahini consisting mostly of sesame seeds, are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine. Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets and like other combinations of grains and pulses, when eaten with bread  serves as a complete protein. Hummus is really easy to prepare. I used to make hummus before but had never tried any variation. Recently I had this tasty red bell pepper flavoured hummus at my friend Preetha’s house which I wanted to try. You can make this with dry chickpeas or with the canned ones but it will taste better with the dry ones. I always use the dry ones since they are healthier and are so much cheaper. Hummus can be served with bread or raw vegetables as a dip, as an alternative to butter, as a spread or filling for pita bread or with chips. You can make lots of variations to the basic hummus. This is a version of hummus using roasted red bell pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. I have also posted the recipe for basic hummus below.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans -  2.5 cups
2. Red bell pepper -  1
3. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil - 2 tbsp
4. Tahini(sesame seed paste) -  3 tbsp
5. Garlic  -  4 crushed
6. Lemon juice - 4 tbsp
7. Cumin powder - A pinch (opt)
8. Paprika - 1/4 tsp (opt)
9. Olive oil - 2 tbsp
10. Salt - To taste
11. Parsley - To garnish

 

Method

 

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water.  Cook till it is soft and done. Drain and reserve the water in which it is cooked.

2. To roast red bell pepper - I followed the instructions here. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Put the red pepper on a foil and roast it in the oven turning in between(takes around 30 mts). Once it is done, place it in a covered bowl or zipper lock bag so that the skin becomes  easier to peel off.  When it is cooled down, peel off the outer skin and remove the seeds from them.

 

 

3. In a food processor or mixer blend  the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, salt and around 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid.  Process until smooth, scraping the sides in between and add the roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Blend it again. You can add more of the reserved water if it is thick. Add the olive oil and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle chopped parsley. This yields around 2.5 cups.  Serve with raw vegetables, pita bread or tortilla chips.

 

 

Tips:

1.  You can make extra quantities and refrigerate upto 1 week or frozen for 2 months or so.

2.  To save time you can use store-bought roasted pepper.

Hummus

Ingredients

1. Chick peas - 2.5 cups
2. Tahini (sesame seed paste) -  3 tbsp (You can find the recipe for tahini here)
3. Garlic  crushed - 4
4. Lemon juice - 4 tbsp
5. Olive oil - 2 tbsp
6. Salt - To taste
7. Parsley - To garnish

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight.  Cook till it is soft and done. Drain and reserve the water in which it is cooked.

2. In a food processor blend  the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, salt and around 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid to a smooth paste scraping the sides in between. You can add more of the reserved water in case it is thick. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and pulse. Garnish with chopped parsley and the remaining olive oil.

Tips:

1.  You can refrigerate it upto 1 week or frozen for 2-3 months.

2.  You can use store-bought tahini.