Sauces & condiments
The perfect, augmented hummus
For a large bowl
Hummus is a formula: chickpea and sesame that together make a complete protein; lemon that frees the iron; oil that carries it all. The secret of its texture lies in two gestures — overcooked chickpeas, and a thread of iced water that makes it 'fluff' like a cream. Once the base is perfect, you augment it.
Ingredients
- Base: 250 g chickpeas soaked 12-24 h (with a pinch of baking soda) then overcooked until meltingly soft
- Body: 4 tbsp tahini, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove, 2 to 3 tbsp iced water, salt, cumin
- To augment (any of): turmeric + black pepper, fresh ginger, infused saffron, roasted beetroot, toasted sesame oil
Method
First emulsify the tahini with the lemon, garlic and salt — the mixture lightens and thickens. Add the overcooked chickpeas, blend at length, then fold in the iced water one spoon at a time: the hummus swells and turns to cloud. Taste, adjust lemon and salt. To augment, blend in a pinch of turmeric and pepper (tahini carries the curcumin, pepper multiplies it), ginger or beetroot; or finish with a thread of infused saffron and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
Augmenting hummus
The base formula is so stable that it welcomes spices, vegetables and finishes without breaking — each so the body receives more. Turmeric-pepper makes it a silent anti-inflammatory support; beetroot, its betalains; saffron, its light. The whole grammar of hummus is detailed on levegetalien.fr — 'Understanding Hummus, and Augmenting It'.