Almost Hummus

In the winter of 2009, I studied abroad in Budapest for a semester. While there, I discovered the best place on earth, Hummus Bar, where they claim to have the best falafel and hummus in Budapest and rightfully so! Boy, was their hummus creamy and their falafel soft on the inside with a crunchy exterior. And so cheap! A huge plate of hummus with pita (which was also really soft yet sturdy and delicious!) was 800 Forints which was about US$4. I'm sure it's gone a bit up by now especially with the exchange rate, but still good value for your money. Looking at their website just now, so much has changed since I was last there. But then again, it has been more than a year. One of their locations seemed under construction in 2009 and now it looks as though it is done! They have added new items to their menu that I would've loved to try. Maybe this gives me an excuse to visit Budapest again ;). I considered it while I was in Paris in May because I thought it was sad that I remembered less of it than my sister when I was the one who lived there! Speaking of Paris, I missed the chance to have the "best falafel" from L'As du Falafel while I was there. I walked by the place twice but it was closed both times.

But when I make hummus or falafel at home, I always try to make it healthier. Instead of frying falafel, I bake them. And my hummus has very little to no oil and no tahini. That's why I call this recipe Almost Hummus. It's got all the ingredients except (probably the most essential) the oil. But I love chickpeas no matter what so I surely enjoyed it as I ate it in my Turkey Hummus Feta Wrap for lunch today.



I will post the original recipe, but I halved the recipe as I had only 1/2 cup chickpeas from cooking 1/4 cup dried. I had only 1 tbsp of lemon juice when I needed 2, but I think I'll stick with the one. I don't really want things too sour.

Hummus (or Almost Hummus as I call it when made without tahini) [Makes 2 cups]
From Blend It! by Good Housekeeping

- 15 to 19 oz canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup tahini [I omitted this]
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil [also omitted]
- 1 tbsp parsley
- a pinch of paprika

1. In blender, combine chickpeas, tahini, water, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic until smooth. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.
2. To serve, spoon hummus onto platter. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley and paprika.



Ha, as I type these instructions, I realized that the parsley was not supposed to be blended with the beans. Eh, no matter.