Baking Soda Is The Secret To The Creamiest Hummus Ever
Instead of buying the best hummus you can find at the grocery store, you've decided to whip up a batch yourself. After all, how hard could it be? Made from chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, and garlic, hummus seems like a simple recipe. That said, it can be tricky to get the ultra-silky texture you crave. It turns out baking soda is the key to soft and creamy chickpeas and the creamiest hummus you've ever dipped a carrot into.
Though there's a lot of debate over whether you should use dried or canned chickpeas, the baking soda trick works either way. When going the dried bean route, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water and another when you boil the beans the next day. If you're opting for the quick-and-dirty method with canned chickpeas, boil the drained and rinsed beans for 15 to 20 minutes with a teaspoon of baking soda and rinse well afterward.
How baking soda makes for creamier hummus
Baking soda creates an alkaline environment, raising the pH levels of the water, which helps break down the natural pectin in the beans, softening them and their pesky little skins and resulting in an über-creamy hummus. But there's no reason to stop exploring the benefits of baking soda there. It also helps reduce the cooking time for dried beans and reduces gas-causing oligosaccharides, a type of prebiotic carbohydrate present in legumes.
Although recipes can differ from region to region, the Israeli version of hummus is said to be the smoothest. In many Israeli recipes, they use a higher ratio of tahini (ground sesame seeds) to chickpeas. But one other option popularized by Israeli cuisine chefs like Michael Solomonov and Yotam Ottolenghi is power of baking soda, using around a teaspoon to soften the beans and help promote skin removal. After measuring out a batch of easy, creamy hummus, blend the hummus longer for the fluffiest texture and add an extra boost of flavor and texture with a garnish of crunchy, salty roasted chickpeas, an extra squirt of fresh lemon juice, and a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil.