Raw Hummus Recipe Help, please :)

[Sienna]

Hello!

I have made raw hummus several times and gotten pretty good at sprouting the chickpeas. The problem that I am running across currently, is that it always comes out tasting SO bitter. I bought raw hummus from a local cafe and it was much sweeter and smoother tasting, the only ingredient that was different was that they added garlic to theirs. I was hoping that some of you might have good raw hummus recipes or ideas on improving the one that I follow. Below is how I make mine:

**Chickpeas (probably about 2 cups, but varies)
**Olive Oil (I fill a 14 cup Cuisinart about an inch deep with it, not sure the actual amount)
**Lemon Juice (usually about 1/2 a cup)
**Large pinch of salt

and if I am making it Green, I add:

** 1 bunch of Parsley
** 2 bunches of Cilantro
** 5 (varies) Green Onions
** sometimes a few chopped Red onions
** sometimes a little jalapeno

Any suggestions would be welcome and wonderful, I'm not sure why it tastes so bitter! I really want to be able to enjoy this dish. :)

[kyrie]

Sienna honey,

I dont' know what you're making, but what you're making is NOT hummus! Chickpea paste yes, but not hummus.

You're missing tahini, cumin, and garlic and dates.

These ingredients make a difference. Plus you only sprout the chickpeas till you see a hint of a tail.

The following recipe is for an authentic raw hummus.

Raw hummus frm Palestine


* 1 cup chickpeas
* 1 cup whole sesame seeds
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 2 lemons
* 3 cloves garlic
* 3 medium dates (or one big madjool)
* 1 slice jalapeno (about half a thumb)
* 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Preparation

the evening before
chickpeas can drink a lot – so don’t be cheap on the water… put them in a big bowl with 5 cups of water at least.

the next morning
(or 12 hours later at least).
the sesame don’t swell as much – soak them in a different bowl with 3 cups of water.
drain the chickpeas and place on a strainer to sprout.

in the evening
(up to 12 hours later, i find that chickpeas taste best when they are minimally sprouted)
we are now going to mush it all!! fun!!
prepare all the ingredients first for suspense.
pit the dates
peel the garlic
strain the sesame seeds if needed (i try to put exactly the amount of water that will soak in without needing to strain)

the electricity-free route
juice the 2 lemons
cut the pepper real small
mush the garlic and dates in garlic press
grind the celtic sea salt in a mortar and pestle
using a manual metal flour grinder (not a meat grinder – but more like the corn grinders they use in mexico to make tortillas, you can buy these on the net for less than $50 and in mexico for cheaper) – grind the soaked sesame and the sprouted chickpeas to a paste.
mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and consistent.

the electricity-dependent route
(use vitamix or food processor)
peel and depit the lemons
put all ingredients except chickpeas in blender
blend with tamper until smooth
empty almost the whole paste into a bowl
(you now have excellent tahini paste! so stop here if you’re happy with it…)
put chickpeas in, blend with tamper until smooth.
empty into bowl.
mix all ingredients in a bowl until consistent.
taste it
hummus is meant to be smooth. if what you got isn’t smooth – then don’t worry, it’ll be a little more beany in flavor – but you need to improve your mushing technique next time. after 30 times you try different things, you’ll see the improvement for sure.
the beany flavor is perfectly balanced with all the flavors.
if it’s smooth, and still too beany for ya – then next time (or now), simply double (or less) all the ingredients in the hummus except the chickpeas.

how to serve
the hummus goes best with the “pita bread” of raw foodists: that is GREENS!
we choose to go out into the wild with a container full of hummus, find the biggest mallow leaves, and wipe the hummus clean with them.
it also goes very well on a platter of leaves… collards, kale, spinach, with cukes and tomatoes and carrots too.

in the picture above the recipe is enhanced with a whole head of parsley to make that lovely green tint.
wow that is cool..

NB: Tahini is sesame seed paste.

For an even more authentic hummus add powdered cumin to taste.

Good luck.

Carla

[Sienna]

Wow! Thank you! I forgot to add hemp seed butter, that always goes in there too. I'm trying to avoid putting dates or anything sweet like that in there for digestive reasons.

Thanks for such detailed info!! I'm still very much learning. :)