Meze Atlas, Dips and spreads

Humus

Name: Humus
Prep time: 105 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 250 g dried chickpeas; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 100 g tahini; 2 lemons, juiced; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp pul biber (Aleppo-style chilli flakes)

/hoo·MOOS/

Chickpea purée with tahini, lemon and garlic

6serves

1 hr 45 minactive time

Goes with

Rakı

Sesame and lemon match the nutty aniseed character of rakı.

Also good with beer.

Our chef's recipe, coming soon. This is the classic version, as it is made on most meyhane tables.

Ingredients

250 gdried chickpeas
1 tspbicarbonate of soda
100 gtahini
2lemons, juiced
2 clovesgarlic
1 tspground cumin
1 tspsalt
3 tbspolive oil
½ tsppul biber (Aleppo-style chilli flakes)

Method

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water with the bicarbonate of soda.
Drain, rinse, cover with fresh water and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours until very soft. Drain, keeping some of the cooking water.
Blend the warm chickpeas with the garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt until smooth.
Add the tahini and blend again, loosening with a few spoons of the cooking water until creamy.
Spread on a plate, drizzle with the olive oil and dust with pul biber.