Bali Detox: Hummus and Tahini

I have always loved hummus but for some reason it had never occurred to me to make it myself, but as my endeavour this week is to get creative in the kitchen and avoid buying anything processed the time has come to make my own hummus, and its actually way simpler than I thought. While I love sesame seeds I am  not a huge fan of tahini, so I made my first batch without any. It tasted great, but the next day I experimented with making my own tahini as well and adding a little to the hummus –  it tasted good as well, so its  just a matter of personal preference I guess.

When it comes to preparing the chick peas its always best to buy them dry, soak overnight and then boil until tender (about 1hour – 1 half hours) they hold their taste and form far better when prepared this way – whereas chick peas out of a can tend to be a little mushier.

Hummus Ingredients

• 2 cups chick peas (soaked overnight and boiled till tender)

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• sprig of parsley (finely chopped)

• 2 teaspoons tahini (optional)

Method: Place the chick peas in a blender and mix until smooth. Add olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, cumin and tahini (optional). Lightly blend, serve sprinkled with parsley

Tahini recipe

• 5 cups sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 minutes, tossing the seeds frequently with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes.

Pour sesame seeds into food processor and add oil. Blend for 2 minutes. Check for consistency. The goal is a thick, yet pourable texture. Add more oil and blend until desired consistency.