Comments on: 10 Common Mistakes in Hummus Recipes

By: shooky

shooky — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:56:28 +0000

aghedo - this, indeed, is very sad. You should check with your doctor what specific substance you are allergic to and/or what alternatives you can use. There's citric acid of course, which is used by many hummus places when lemon is absent or too pricey. There are many herbs that contain citral, and can be used as lemon alternatives. A partial substitute which is used in Arab cuisine is Sumac.

By: aghedo

aghedo — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 04:49:51 +0000

I would love to make hummus but I am allergic to lemon. Any suggestions?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:54:23 +0000

Kind of funny to read. Just made hummus and I didn’t fall into too many pitfalls – and didn’t use a recipe. Pure luck or maybe just instincts.

1. I have never heard of boiling with baking soda – will try it next time (but my inner food scientist (also on paper), tells me that the soda only helps soften the outer layer of the chikpeas).

2. I put in lemon zest as well (it’s my thing at the moment – I put it in everything)

3. I boiled the chickpeas in water with SALT, but also garlic, cumin and koriander. I find it makes the chikpeas taste much more authentic, and I usually snack them this way.

You may yell at me for my mistakes, or consider using them and see the result

By: Yosefa

Yosefa — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:44:10 +0000

I once learned that vinegar can help balance salt. I would try it with a spoonful first, and also see if lemon juice will have the same effect, since the taste goes better with hummus. Obviously adding more chickpeas, olive oil, and other ingrediants will help. I like adding roasted red peppers. My guess is that adding roasted garlic or mushrooms will not help with the salt problem, though they are also good with hummus.

By: felipe carbonell

felipe carbonell — Sat, 07 May 2011 15:36:46 +0000

I just made hummus, but it is very salty. Any sugestions on how I can mend the problem and taste?

Thank you

Felipe

By: Noël Sumstine

Noël Sumstine — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:55:34 +0000

Some people are allergic to garlic. My daughter loves hummus, we all do actually, but she absolutely cannot have the garlic. We are going to try asafoetida today. Asafoetida is considered a garlic substitute in some cultures but you have to use a very light hand with it. Even a little bit can be too much, depending on what it is being mixed into. When there is too much, it stinks like cat urine and tastes.. possibly the same.
I really miss cooking with garlic.

By: shooky

shooky — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:20:32 +0000

It’ll be fine without the garlic.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:49:50 +0000

I appreciate your information, but I simply detest garlic. I tried hummus one time at an authentic Mediterranean restaurant in our area and all I could taste was garlic. I would prefer a recipe without it, regardless of authenticity, because I do like chickpeas.

By: David Sternlight

David Sternlight — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:22:56 +0000

I find that if one uses canned chick peas, one should rinse them three times after discarding the original liquid. Not doing so is a big mistake of some recipes, as is using the original canned chickpea liquid in any way.

You are correct about the lessened nutritional value.

By: Birgit

Birgit — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:04:37 +0000

I know you don’t like canned chickpeas, but I don’t have a choice here in Germany. I bought a can, brought tahini from England, and just mixed away. A bit of fresh garlic (so fresh, the skins were still soft), a bit of lemon and almost no salt (because there seems to be salt in the canned chickpeas).
Anyway. It is absolutely devine.
I shall now retire to my favourite armchair, watch an episode of “Starsky & Hutch” and nibble on some carrots dipped in my hummus.

My idea of heaven!

By: bob

bob — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:20:37 +0000

I think the secret to finding your own perfect hummus is to go slowly on ingredients, tasting as you go. I’ve eaten so much hummus with too little lemon and tahini (not to mention garlic); it’s just bland chick-pea mush. Start with the tahini, when it’s good for you then add lemon juice. Same for salt. Cumin is great but it’s also a spice that can ruin a dish if you use too much.

So much of cooking is about taking the time to get good ingredients, tasting yourself and being aware of how ingredients affect flavor rather than just following a forumula!

By the way, the “salt in the cooking water keeps beans from softening” idea is actually a myth; it doesn’t affect them even though logically it might seem that it should; it can actually help them absorb water. It also makes for better tasting beans in recipes where the beans stay whole (like msabbha). What does inhibit water uptake is acid – not an issue for hummus but for other dried bean recipes. That’s why many traditional bean recipes that have tomatoes or tomato paste add them late in the cooking. But

By: Alison

Alison — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:24:51 +0000

Thanks for the recipe and all the info. After a summer in Israel I needed to learn how to make the real stuff. I can agree with you more about the need to use dried chickpeas over canned ones.

By: shooky

shooky — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:43:29 +0000

Candice – I’m not sure there’s much you CAN do. If you didn’t add too much raw tahini you can make some thick tahini sauce (with no salt) and add from the salty hummus until it is eatable. It may work or it may just waste all the tahini you have left…

By: Candice

Candice — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:40:46 +0000

I followed a new recipe that didn’t call for cumin and for too much salt. How do I correct that?

By: shooky

shooky — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:57:13 +0000

Starhawk -

Certain chickpea varieties are a bit fragile and do not survive a pleasure cooker well. Beside that you’re right.

Too much salt is a truly bad thing, and I too belong to the too-much-garlic school myself. Anyhow, it’s better to add very little garlic – if any – to the hummus itself and add it only on top of it when you serve it. Try that.