Receta Cheat’s hummus
This isn’t really hummus, because it doesn’t have oil or tahini in it. But if you’re trying to cut down on fat intake, it’s not a bad substitute, and it is very quick and easy to make using a jar of chickpeas and a few other ingredients you’re likely to have on hand. It’s part of our campaign for healthier nibbles to eat with aperos; we have it with raw carrot sticks, but you can use other vehicles of your choice, including pitta bread of course.
Words of advice:
Use a Spanish brand of chickpeas if you possibly can, they are just better. Jars are generally better than cans for some reason.
Lack of tahini and oil means you have to really ramp up the spices and garlic to stop it being bland. Don’t take my quantities as gospel — taste and adjust as you like.
This makes a lot; I hope it freezes well because that’s what I’ve done with half of it. It will keep for a few days in the fridge.
- 1 400g jar of chickpeas
- 4 tbs lemon juice (about 1 lemon), possibly more to taste
- 1 tbs ground cumin
- 1 tbs ground coriander
- 1 tsp cayenne or pimentón picante
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4 tbs yoghurt (you can use low-fat if you want)
- salt and pepper
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put all the ingredients in a liquidiser or food processor and whiz till smooth. Note, if all you’ve got is a stick blender you can still do it, it will just take a bit longer.
Taste and adjust seasoning. You need plenty of salt, and you may also need to add more lemon juice or garlic. Leave for a few hours for the flavours to develop. Sprinkle with a little cayenne to serve; you could even drizzle a little olive oil on top!