Tuesday 5 July 2011

Smoky Chilli & Lime Houmous

Yesterday I was really fancying some houmous to go with some nice crunchy salad and crackers for lunch. I love houmous and often (I’m ashamed to say) buy it from supermarkets, but its so quick and easy to make at home that I decided to have a little fun and jazz up some homemade houmous.

Simple clean flavours are all well and good, but I also love things with a bit of spice and after a browse though the fridge and spice cupboard I decided to make houmous with a little lime and cumin for aromatics and paprika and cayenne for a smoky kick.

I’m not a great fan of tahini, even though I love sesame and sesame oil, so instead I used peanut butter to add that creamy nutty note. This may sound a little odd, but it really works.

The houmous took literally 10 minutes from start to finish and I ended up with a lovely big pot for only a few pence, a bargain compared to shop bought. It reminded me that I really should make my own more often.

It smelt amazing and quite Moroccan so I dipped a cracker in and took a bite. At first I just got a creamy texture and a fresh zesty flavour from the lime. Then the smokiness from the paprika came in and started to develop into a gentle heat from the cayenne pepper, leaving my mouth with a warming tingle.

I loved its terracotta orange colour from the paprika, very Middle Eastern. It’s quite addictive and perfect summer lunchtime munching.

Smoky Chilli & Lime Houmous
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp peanut butter or tahini
Juice of ½ lime
4-6 tsp vegetable oil

Method
Place all the ingredients, expect the oil, into a small blender and blitz until chunky. Scrape down the sides and briefly blitz again.
Add 4tsp of oil and blend until smooth or at your desired consistency (I like it coarse). Add a little more oil or a touch of water if it’s too thick.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Eat within 5 days.

9 comments:

Kate@whatkatebaked said...

What a lovely lunch! I adore hummous- find it rather addictive (woe betide any friend you places me near the buffet table at a party that contains a bowl of hummous!). This version looks great-I'll look forward to giving it a go!

Please Do Not Feed The Animals. said...

I love houmous too but mine is ALWAYS shop bought.
I don't have any excuse no, though, as I have purchased a rather lovely food processor. I MUST make some. I like your recipe - I love smoky paprika.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

Hummous is my go to lunch these days - love it!

oneordinaryday said...

Next time I make hummus, I'm using lime instead of lemon! :)

Lady Chutney said...

I love hummous. Once I made my own shop bought was never the same. I am going to definately make this at the weekend. I wonder if it freezes??? I made beetroot hummus this morning (which was delicious) using a Riverside Cottage recipe which Hugh assures will freeze. We shall see. I froze the broadbean hummus and that was ok.

Inspector Clouseau said...

Wow. I can almost taste it.

Nice work. I came across your blog while “blog surfing” using the Next Blog button on the blue Nav Bar located at the top of my blogger.com site. I frequently just travel around looking for other blogs which exist on the Internet, and the various, creative ways in which people express themselves. Thanks for sharing.

Johanna GGG said...

Great flavour combination - just tried it with some roasted chickpeas - must keep it in mind for summer when I am more into dips (though we buy them as much as we make them too - despite good intentions)

Choclette said...

Such a brilliantly simple idea to use peanut butter instead of tahini. This one I am going to have to try.

The Caked Crusader said...

I love hummus - it's one of those foods that i have to eat until it's all gone. Such a lovely taste and texture. I like the idea of the smoky chilli