If you've ever browsed a UK supermarket, you'll know hummus is everywhere: dozens of varieties, always within easy reach. But that's not the case everywhere, which is exactly why I started making my own.

Back in February this year, we travelled to Japan for my brother's wedding, and I offered to prepare food for the after-party. My brother used to buy hummus all the time when he lived in the UK, so I wanted to recreate that for him. Hummus isn't common in Japan, and ready-made versions are hard to find, so if you can make it yourself, even better, right?

It turned out to be a hit at the party. So many guests asked for the recipe that we decided to share it here, in Japanese, so that everyone can make it at home.

この投稿の日本語版はこちらでお読みいただけます。

日本語版を読む

These days, we always have a batch in the fridge. It's tasty, nutritious, and once it's made, it's the easiest thing to reach for when you want a quick snack or meal.

So today, we're sharing two recipes: a classic basic hummus, and a vibrant roasted beetroot version!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 100g of dried chickpeas or a tin of chickpeas (drained weight: 240g)
  • 35g tahini (about 1 and a half tablespoons)
  • Juice and zest of half a lemon (a tablespoon of lemon juice)
  • A half or whole clove of garlic
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons)
  • Sea salt (Start with a pinch, add later if needed)
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If you have a tougher time digesting raw garlic like me, I recommend using roasted or confit garlic instead of fresh.

For beetroot hummus

The ingredients above except the garlic.

Plus

  • One medium red beetroot (about 200g), scrubbed
  • A few cloves of garlic
  • Some olive oil and salt for roasting beetroot and garlic

Tools

Instructions

Cook dried chickpeas (if you are using tinned ones, skip this step)

  1. Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water overnight.
  2. Drain the water and add the rehydrated chickpeas and enough water to cover them in a saucepan.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the chickpeas and their skins soften. It took about an hour and a half for me.
  4. Once cooked, let them cool before moving on to the next step.
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I usually cook the chickpeas the night before while preparing our dinner. Let them cool, then refrigerate overnight to chill. Then it’s ready to make hummus the next day!

Making plain hummus

  1. Strain the chickpeas (keep the chickpea water for later to adjust the hummus consistency), then add them to the food processor. Blitz them roughly. Leave the remaining liquid in the fridge or freezer to chill for later.
  1. Add the lemon zest and juice, tahini, a pinch of salt, and garlic. Blend them.
  1. Add olive oil and blend. If your food processor lets you add oil while blending, add it slowly as you blend.
  2. By this point, there usually isn’t enough moisture in the mixture, so add the remaining chickpea water a little at a time until you reach your perfect consistency. I added about 1 tablespoon of liquid, and it was a little hard, so I recommend adding 2 tablespoons. (If you throw the liquid away by mistake, you can add ice water instead.)
  1. Blend until smooth. Taste and add some salt to taste if needed.

Roasted beetroot hummus

  1. Place the beetroot and garlic on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. Sprinkle some olive oil and some salt.
  2. Wrap in the aluminium foil and bake in the oven at 180-200ºC. Cook it until soft. (Takes about an hour.)
  3. Peel the beetroot, then cut it into quarters or smaller to make it easier to blend. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin.
  4. Follow the plain hummus recipe above through step 3, except for adding the garlic. We use the roasted garlic instead. 
  5. Add the chopped roasted beetroot. Blend well. Add the chickpea cooking liquid little by little to adjust the consistency.
  6. Blend until smooth. Taste and add some salt to taste if needed.

Enjoy both hummuses within 3 to 4 days. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serving suggestions

  • With seasonal vegetables as a snack
  • With cooked broccoli as a side dish 
  • Spread in a wrap with some salad and a protein source
  • On sourdough toast (if you want to know how to make sourdough bread, head here for making the dough and there for making the bread).

Closing words

Here's our homemade hummus recipe. I hope it made you want to try it if you haven’t made hummus yet, or if you have, I’m curious what kind of hummus you make!

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