It’s hard to imagine a time now when I wasn’t familiar with Middle Eastern dishes like hummus, tabbouleh and dolmas. But back in high school, these things were new territory for me and most people I knew. Since that time, I’ve eaten my fair share of it all. I worked in a Lebanese bakery in university and was often allowed to take home items that were left over at the end of the day. And in grad school, some of the most popular restaurants around the school were Middle Eastern, because the food was great and didn’t put too much pressure on a poor grad student’s wallet.
Despite all of this, I’d never made hummus at home until now. I knew it was remarkably easy to make, it just happened to be even easier to buy it from Trader Joe’s. But I had a hankering for it and I knew I didn’t want the plain jane kind. Trader Joe’s makes a chipotle hummus but they kind of wimp out on the heat and I wanted to taste that smokey, spicey goodness. I also knew that by making it at home with dried chickpeas, I could up the health factor so that it was fresher and contained more fiber and less salt. More bang for my buck, so to speak.
The Results: Yup, homemade hummus is remarkably easy to make, and it’s delicious to boot! Now I have to ask myself why I never did this before. The hardest part is cooking or soaking the chickpeas, which takes some forethought. Yes, you can use canned, but they contain far more sodium and a lot less fiber than their dried and reconstituted counterparts. I also love the chipotle in this. It gives it a great colour and it’s not burn-your-mouth hot but it has a nice slow sizzle after you take a bite. It pairs perfectly with pita chips and veggies, and although I haven’t tried it this way, I imagine it would be great on a sandwich too.
This makes a big batch so feel free to half it. I was taking some to my book club and wanted to keep some at home as well. You can also do more or less chipotle, as you like.
Spicy Chipotle Hummus
1 ½ cups dried chick peas
½ cup olive oil
⅓ cup tahini
2 to 3 whole chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup water
Place chickpeas in a medium pot and cover with water by several inches. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Alternatively, you can cover chickpeas with water and let stand overnight.
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in food processor, along with olive oil, tahini, chipotles, garlic, lemon juice and cumin. Process until it begins to form a paste.
Taste and add more chipotle if desired, as well as salt and pepper to taste. With processor running, slowly pour water in through feed tube until a creamy consistency is achieved. Scrape down sides of processor with a rubber spatula as needed.
Marly says
Looks like a delicious recipe – can't wait to try it!
Lemons and Anchovies says
Congrats on making your very own hummus and it looks great, too! So much better than the store bought kind. The Southwestern influence is a clever idea. 🙂
Mary says
I already know I'm going to love this! I can't wait to make it!
Mary xx
Delightful Bitefuls
Laura says
I love homemade hummus, especially since I can control what goes into it. I will have to try your version, it looks very tasty!
Jeanette says
I love homemade hummus, and a spicy one is right up my alley. Homemade hummus is so much better than store-bought. There's a few good ones out there, but I've had many I've been disappointed with after I brought it home.
Trish says
Love how you added the cumin and chipotle for a nice change from regular hummus. Great flavors. Sounds delish!
Scarletta Bakes says
This is fantastic!
I love that you used dried chick peas and I ESPECIALLY love that you used chile peppers in adobo sauce.
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
The one time I made homemade hummus I used canned chickpeas, but I'd love to try it with dry. Your hummus looks incredibly creamy and wonderful.
Fresh and Foodie says
Middle Eastern cuisine is one of my favorites, and homemade hummus is leaps and bounds better than store bought. I like putting an extra glug of olive oil on the top just before serving. Yum.
Stephanie says
Making hummus is easy and it's so good! I love being able to add flavors to it. Your chipotle hummus sounds wonderful!
Pretend Chef says
Hummus was the main reason I bought a food processor. Love at first bite. It makes a wonderful dip or spread for a sandwich. This sounds and looks so delicious! Yummy!
marla says
We love hummus over here too. Thanks for sharing this simple recipe with us. Nothing is better than the homemade stuff. xo
Tiffany says
I heart chipotles! This sounds fantastic!
Suchi says
that sure looks great! never worked with chipotle peppers… sure love the spicy combo.
Claire Gallam says
This looks amazing!!!!!! 🙂 I love chipotle in anything!
Amy Bakes Everything says
Beautiful! I really love hummus, but I can't buy it close – I've made my own (and had to eat it all myself) for a long time – I love the chipotle – will add for sure next time!
Medeja says
You gave me a great idea how to use those 2 cups of leftove chickpeas that I have 🙂 thanks
Cakewhiz says
I have some boiled chickpeas sitting in my refrigerator which means I am making this for lunch tomorrow. It looks easy and i like my hummus spicy. So, hooray for me 🙂
Firefly@fireflyblog.org says
Yummy I can't wait to make some!
kita says
After reading your introduction about having hummus and other dishes and working in a Lebanese bakery my eyes about popped out of my head when I read that you had never made hummus. I looove how great it is when I make it at home. I really love that I can control the consistency. Some brands make it way to thin for my liking and others too batter like. At home its my way 🙂 Last time I made some I roasted some red peppers and threw them in as well. I love a spice filled hummus.