Hummus Masabacha (Hummus With Whole Chickpeas) Recipe

Hummus masabacha is a popular variant of the Middle Eastern chickpea spread in which most or all of the chickpeas are left whole and tossed with the tahini sauce, instead of being puréed into it. There are endless variations on it, but at its heart, it's as easy as can be, and lots more interesting than your average hummus spread.

Why It Works

- Dried chickpeas provide better flavor than canned.
- Cooking the chickpeas until they're very tender leads to a hummus with the best texture.

YIELD: Makes about 5 cups, serving 8 to 10
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 15 minutes, plus overnight soak

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried chickpeas (about 1 1/4 level cups; 225g)
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda, divided
Kosher salt
1 small onion, split in half
1 small stalk celery
1 small carrot
2 medium cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary (optional)
1 to 1 1/2 cups (235 to 350ml) Tahini Sauce With Garlic and Lemon
1/3 cup (50g) minced flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Za'atar, paprika, toasted pine nuts, and/or chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Warm pita bread, for serving

Directions

1. Combine chickpeas, 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda, and 2 tablespoons (24g) salt in a large bowl. Cover with 6 cups (1.4L) cold water. Stir to dissolve salt and baking soda. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly.

2. Place chickpeas in a large Dutch oven or saucepan. Add remaining baking soda, 1 tablespoon (12g) salt, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, and rosemary, if using. Add 6 cups (1.4L) water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover with lid slightly cracked, and cook until chickpeas are completely tender and nearly falling apart, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Check on chickpeas occasionally and top up with more water if necessary; they should be completely submerged at all times. Let cool slightly.

3. Discard onion, garlic, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and rosemary. Drain chickpeas, reserving their cooking water.

4. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 cup (235ml) tahini sauce with about one-quarter of the cooked chickpeas and blend until very smooth, with a thick but pourable milkshake-like consistency. Thin with a little of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary (but be careful not to thin too much at once; you can always thin more, but can't remove liquid once it's added). Season with salt.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine tahini mixture with remaining chickpeas and parsley. Stir until thoroughly mixed and chickpeas are coated in a creamy sauce. (If you prefer the sauce thinner, gently work in a little more of the reserved cooking liquid.) You can refrigerate the hummus at this point; it will become thicker in the refrigerator.

6. Spoon onto a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, and top with garnishes of your choice. Serve with warm pita bread.

Special Equipment

High-powered blender or food processor

Source: Serious Eats