Jerusalem Hummus with homemade tahini sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked chickpeas

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water with the baking soda.

   Bowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Drain, cover with plenty of unsalted water and cook about 1 to 1½ hours, skimming off the foam and skins from time to time, until the chickpeas are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.

   ColanderStovePot

   💡Fully cooked chickpeas crush between your fingers with no resistance at all. Chickpeas that stay a little firm make a grainy spread, and no amount of tahini will fix it.

   💡A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water too, not just in the soak, softens the skins even more.
3. 3
   Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.

   Colander

For the Tahini sauce

1. 4
   Mix the tahini and lemon juice and season with salt.
2. 5
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
3. 6
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and season with salt.

To assemble

1. 7
   Transfer the tahini sauce to a food processor, add the chickpeas, still warm, and process 3–5 minutes, until it is completely smooth.

   Food processor

   💡Grind the chickpeas while they are still warm: warm chickpeas grind into a smoother cream than cold ones.
2. 8
   Gradually add the water, until the hummus is creamy and airy, and a little thinner than the texture you want: it thickens as it stands.

   💡Ice water, not ordinary water, gives hummus an airy, pale texture: the tahini emulsifies with it like mayonnaise.
3. 9
   Spread on a plate, make a well in the center and add the olive oil.