CILANTRO- JALAPENO HUMMUS

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus recipe is an easy recipe and you can easily whip it with just a handful of ingredients. It is made by blending chickpeas with tahini sauce, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, jalapeno, and lemon juice until smooth.

Hummus is one of the easiest dips you can make at home. All you need is a can of chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice. Classic hummus has tahini in it, but if you don't like the taste then you can skip it too.

Hummus is one of my favorite dips along with some Garlic Sauce. Hummus goes great in Pita Rolls or as a dip with some pita chips & veggies.

FLAVORING: Even simple plain hummus tastes great, but when some extra flavoring is added, it elevates the taste. I like adding veggies like- roasted red pepper, avocado, beets, spinach, artichoke, etc. And also tastes great with spices like- Harissa, Buffalo Sauce, Sriracha, etc.

Hummus is smooth and creamy in texture. So for making hummus, I have used some quality ingredients:

• CHICKPEAS: You can use canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans or cook chickpeas for the Hummus. I have cooked chickpeas from scratch using my Instant Pot and it was super easy. For a quicker version, you can use the canned chickpeas. 
• TAHINI: This is another main ingredient needed for making Hummus. Tahini Sauce is basically paste made by using sesame seeds. Traditionally tahini sauce is added to the hummus. But you can also add fresh sesame seeds in the food processor or can avoid it altogether and hummus will still taste the same.
• JALAPENO: I like a little spicy hummus to go with chips & veggies. But if you like not that spicy you can either use de-seeded jalapenos or roasted ones.
• OLIVE OIL: Hummus always taste great with some Extra-Virgin Olive oil. But if you're avoiding oil then you can skip the step.
• LEMON JUICE: Lemon Juice gives a little tangy flavor to the hummus and hence I would recommend not to skip this step.
• CILANTRO: Cilantro not only provides great color to the hummus but also gives a fresh & distinctive flavor.

I prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch rather than using canned chickpeas. First, soak dried chickpeas overnight in at least 2 qt of water. Then drain it and cook by adding them in an Instant Pot or any other pressure cooker with a quart of water with some salt.

If you don't want to soak them overnight, then pressure cook in Instant Pot for 60 minutes at HIGH-pressure level. You can also add little baking soda while boiling to make them extra soft.

PROCESS TAHINI & OLIVE OIL FIRST: When you buy tahini, the oil gets separated from the solid part. If you process it first with olive oil then you'll get a creamier base and hummus will turn out smooth.

PEEL THE MEMBRANES: If you have time and you want to make hummus extra creamy & smooth, then peel membranes off from cooked chickpeas.

Using Paper Towel: The best way is to work for ½ can of chickpeas at one time. Drain them and rub them vigorously between two large paper towels. This will help in easily peeling off the membranes from chickpeas.

Using Baking Soda: First work on ½ can of chickpeas at one time. Drain chickpeas and mix with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes. And then rub them between two large paper towels. This will help in taking the membranes off much quicker.

HOW TO MAKE CILANTRO-JALAPENO HUMMUS

1. BOIL CHICKPEAS: You can boil the soaked chickpeas for 30 minutes or un-soaked chickpeas for 60 minutes at HIGH-pressure level. Or you can also use the canned chickpeas for the recipe.
2. PEEL MEMBRANES: The best recipes come out when you peel the membranes. Sprinkle some baking soda then remove the membranes by rolling the chickpeas in a paper towel.
3. PROCESS TAHINI & OLIVE OIL: Start making hummus by first processing tahini & olive oil until smooth. This will help in smoother hummus.
4. ADD INGREDIENTS: Then add the rest of the ingredients and keep processing until blended and smooth in texture.
5. ADJUST & SERVE: Lastly adjust the flavors and serve with pita chips or some veggies.

• CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
• GREEN CHUTNEY
• TAMARIND CHUTNEY
• HOMEMADE HUMMUS
• LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE
• CRANBERRY SAUCE