Tuesday 13 May 2014

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus



Roasted red pepper hummus is a twist to the traditional Middle Eastern classic recipe, ‘Hummus‘. The roasted red peppers give a beautiful orange color to the hummus and lend a sweet and smoky flavor to the hummus. Tahini aka sesame seeds paste, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil are the key components of the basic hummus recipe. Try to avoid using store bought canned beans or tahini paste as nothing beats home made hummus made from scratch. Freshly ground roasted cumin powder adds depth to the hummus. You can tweak the spices to suit your palate. Serve the creamy textured and vibrant colored roasted red pepper hummus with pita bread/naan or as a dip with tortilla chips or fresh raw vegetables like cucumber, bell peppers, celery stick and carrots. A healthy appetizer or snack that you will be making again and again. There is no dearth of healthy vegetarian recipes that are nutritious, easy to prepare and delicious. I use farm fresh vegetables in my daily cooking and try to incorporate low fat cooking techniques as much as possible. Roasted red pepper hummus falls under the category of healthy vegetarian recipes, one that is low fat, easy to make and not to mention, delicious.
• 1 1/4 cup chickpeas, wash and soak in 3 cups water and a tsp of baking soda overnight
• Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
• Olive oil - 5 tbsps
• Red bell peppers - 2
• Lemon juice - 4 tbsps
• Garlic -2, roast in a tsp of olive oil and lighty crush
• Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp (red chili powder or paprika can be used in its place)
• Roasted cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Roasted coriander powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Salt to taste


• Place a skewer into each of the red bell peppers and roast over low flame till the skin is charred or blackened. Allow the red pepper to roast all over. Turn off heat and place them in a zip lock bag for 15 mts. Once they cool down, the skin will easily peel off. Place the peeled roasted peppers in a bowl and keep aside.
Pressure cook chick peas along with the water up to 4 whistles or until soft. Turn off heat and bring to room temperature. Drain the chick peas and keep aside. Reserve the water also.
• Dry roast sesame seeds on low flame for 6 mts and turn off flame.
• Heat a small pan, add 2 tsps olive oil and roast garlic for a mt till light brown. Turn off heat and cool.
• In a mixer grinder, add garlic, sesame sesame seeds and olive oil and grind to a fine paste. Add lemon juice, cumin powder, cayenne pepper or chili powder and salt and grind again till well blended.
• Next add the red bell peppers and grind till smooth. Finally add the drained chickpeas and grind to a smooth paste. Add approx 3-4 tbsps of the drained chickpea water and grind again. It should be a smooth and creamy paste. Remove to a serving bowl. Drizzle some olive oil on top with a sprinkle of red chili flakes and serve with pita bread, crackers or sliced vegetables like carrot or cucumber.

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5 comments:

  1. Sounds very interesting and yummy. Like to try this.

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  2. I used to prepare the origional version frequently. This looks amazing and will try this next time for sure.

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  3. Why r u using baking soda ?but i can imagine how the hummus will be with the roasted bell pepper .Wonderfully prepared dear

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  4. love this anytime..looks delish !!

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