Recipe for Creamiest Balaboosta inspired Hummus Recipe. Made with homemade Tahini. Original recipe from Balaboosta cookbook by Einat Admony. With step by step pictures.
I have eaten many hummus but this one inspired from the Balaboosta has to be THE ONLY HUMMUS RECIPE you will ever need. I am a great fan of the Israeli born NYC chef Einat Admony. This hummus is a dynamite, divine, smooth, silky, really really oh so good. There are a few secrets to making a good hummus. Basically two things.
# Fall apart tender chickpea / garbanzo beans.
# Chickpea – Tahini ratio. (We will be making our own home made Tahini for this recipe)
Lets make this irresistible, velvety king of dips. I eat it with my toast, slather on carrots, or just take a bowl of hoomooz (I can never pronounce hummus that way. But I try!) and sit in front of the teevee. Come with me you Balaboosta!
Balaboosta (n.)(bah-lah-boo-sta) A Yiddish term meaning the perfect housewife, homemaker, wonderful mother, cook, and gracious hostess. Balaboostas love their husbands (hmm…hmm…most of the time, that is.)
So the first thing in doing this great ethereal hummus is to start soaking the dried chickpea the previous day in water and baking soda. The baking soda does the magic to get fall apart tender chickpea.
Dump the chickpeas in a large bowl and add 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. Add water till it fills the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight for 8-10 hours. The next day, drain. Now we need to cook the chickpea. You can cook the chickpea in a pressure cooker or in a pan.
Pressure cooker method
Add lots of water in a pressure cooker (3 cups) and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Cook for 10 whistles and switch off the flame. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Drain the chickpea and reserve 1/2 cup of the chickpea water. Set aside.
Pan Method
Add lots of water in a bowl (5-6 cups) and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the chickpeas are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the chickpea water. Set aside.
In both methods, let the chickpea cool completely before proceeding.
I made fresh Tahini paste for this recipe. Here is how. Take a pan and dry roast the white sesame seeds on low flame until very slightly brown and fragrant.
Grind it in a spice grinder / small mixie jar to a powder. Add in the olive oil and grind it into a very fine paste.
Now, say with me – making tahini at home is very easy! I just made enough Tahini just for this recipe.
Now lets crank up the mixer to make hummus.
Combine the cooked chickpea, garlic, reserved liquid, tahini paste, lemon juice, Olive oil, salt, cumin, and pepper in a food processor / mixie and puree until really smooth and creamy. Add a little more water if the hummus is really thick. Plop the hummus on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
When ready to serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red chilli powder.
Creamiest Balaboosta Hummus Recipe
Recipe for Creamiest Balaboosta inspired Hummus Recipe. Made with homemade Tahini. Original recipe from Balaboosta cookbook by Einat Admony.
- Total Time: 12 hours 5 mins
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Hummus
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 3/4 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid (drained after cooking chickpea)
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
For Tahini
- 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For Garnish
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder or paprika for garnish
Instructions
For Tahini
- Take a pan and dry roast the white sesame seeds on low flame until very slightly brown and fragrant.
- Grind it in a spice grinder / small mixie jar to a powder. Add in the olive oil and grind it into a very fine paste.
For Hummus
- Dump the chickpeas in a large bowl and add 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. Add water till it fills the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight for 8-10 hours. The next day, drain. Now we need to cook the chickpea. You can cook the chickpea in a pressure cooker or in a pan.
- Pressure cooker method
- Add lots of water in a pressure cooker (3 cups) and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Cook for 10 whistles and switch off the flame. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Drain the chickpea and reserve 1/2 cup of the chickpea water. Set aside.
- Pan Method
- Add lots of water in a bowl (5-6 cups) and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the chickpeas are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the chickpea water. Set aside.
- Combine the cooked chickpea, garlic, reserved liquid, tahini paste, lemon juice, Olive oil, salt, cumin, and pepper in a food processor / mixie and puree until really smooth and creamy. Plop the hummus on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red chilli powder.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Dips
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Hi, if I cannot make homemade Tahnini using your recipe, how much should I use for this recipe? 1/4 cup? Thank you!
do the chickpeas require that much B.Soda?
You will be draining all the water. If you want a creamy hummus, do try with baking soda.
surely will! thnks
Hi ,
I’m going to make this recipe along with falafel today . Before making the purée should the chickpeas be cooled down?
P.S. Just finished making mushroom biryani using your recipe .
Also my kid and my husband loved the beetroot kola urundai . They eat non-veg but I’m a pure vegetarian, so I try to make variety of vegetarian dishes at home and your collection is awesome . Love your work!
Thank you so much Ranjani.
Better to cool down chick peas so the mixie doesnt splash.
This is prepared and used up immediately or can we keep the leftover for later use? I always have a problem making the right quantities.
You can store in the refrigerator for upto 3 days.
I wanted to make this for My 1.3 yr old. recently we went to an Arabian restaurant and couldnt resist my daughter from trying the hummus herself and she definitely liked it.
I wanted to give her a home-made one and certainly adding baking soda is making me think !!!
How bad it would be If I skip baking soda.
It wont be creamy.
I love ur recipies…particularly hummus I’m a great fan of Lebanese food happy if u could introduce more of it….
Vanakkam . the recipe you recently posted are Greek and Latin to me. Anyway I want to try. Two questions. Can I skip baking soda? What’s the shelf life of the dip?
Vanakkam mam! they are easy to make at home. That little bit of baking soda is necessary to get the fall apart tender chickpea. The texture of chickpea is important to get smooth and creamy dip. The shelf life is 2 days in the fridge.
What a writing.. could feel the energy n ur love for this hummus… Its like u r directly speaking to us.thank u