Green Goddess Hummus

Take regular hummus up a notch by making it refreshingly herby and spectacularly green – this delicious Green Goddess Hummus makes a super tasty snack or a super yummy starter!

The first time I had (and made) hummus was years and years ago in Daharki.

Back then hummus was non-existent on local restaurant and café menus unlike now, so people who wanted to have it would make it themselves.

Prior to life in London, I had no idea what “flavoured” hummus was.

Most people are purists when it comes to hummus and even though I agree that great tasting well-made plain hummus is a joy, there are a few flavor additions that do take it to the next level.

The first hummus I bought in London was a caramelized onion hummus from good ‘ol Sainsbury’s.

It was very good and a staple at my place, since popping over to the Middle Eastern restaurants and cafés along Edgware Road every other day for my hummus fix was not exactly a financially feasible option!

Now back in Lahore, I make it at home and experiment with additional flavors that might add a little extra oomph to the regular version.

Hummus is a very personal thing.

Once you start making it yourself, you begin adjusting the ingredients called for in the basic recipe to get it to taste exactly the way you like it.

Regular or flavored, it is always a great idea to have it on hand for an enjoyable snack or as a pleasing party menu item.

I have to thank Cookie and Kate, one of my favorite blogs for fresh and healthy vegetarian recipes, for this Green Goddess Hummus.

This gorgeous blog is also the inspiration behind my wanting to start my own blog – many thanks to adorable little Cookie and to Kate Taylor for being an inspiration and also for her ever so helpful blogger resources and selfless guidance that made setting up the blog so much easier for a technologically challenged person like me!

You can find the original Green Goddess Hummus recipe by Cookie and Kate here.

Green Goddess Hummus contains herbs that make up the classic Green Goddess salad dressing, namely parsley, tarragon and chives.

Since the dressing was primarily named for its lovely pale jade color, you can use any combination of fresh green herbs to make your Green Goddess Hummus.

I stuck with the classic Green Goddess salad dressing herbs since I am fond of them.

Use the herbs that you like; there’s no point in making Green Goddess Hummus with say, parsley, if you do not like it.

Fresh basil, coriander, mint etc are some of the many herbs that make a delicious green herby hummus.

I had to wait a long time before I could actually make this Green Goddess Hummus.

First of all, I could not find parsley.

This perennial herb was surprisingly not available anywhere in Lahore which reaffirmed my belief in the fact that I seriously need to start growing my own herbs again.

A chance comment by the admin on one of the popular local food forums Pakistan Food Forum helped me discover Isloo Fresh, an Islamabad based supplier of organic herbs, vegetables and fruit.

They also supply other organic foods such as honey, ghee, eggs and chicken.

I was delighted to find that they not only had parsley but the flat leaf variety into the bargain.

I have seen only curly parsley at the local shops here and just adore the fresh grassiness of flat leaf parsley.

So I placed my order with Isloo Fresh and was rewarded with insanely fresh flat leaf parsley and chives shipped from Islamabad to Lahore, 24 hours later.

I got the tarragon from the Lahore stalwart Pioneer Store.

I use both my food processor and my blender to make hummus.

I start with the food processor but since it is fairly old and I refuse to part with it for sentimental reasons, it doesn’t process the hummus into the creamy consistency that it should.

So I transfer the slightly chunky hummus to my blender and blend it into cloud-like oblivion, which is exactly how it should be.

The result is a creamy, fresh and gloriously green hummus that I can’t get enough of!

Serve Green Goddess Hummus with grilled pita bread cut into wedges, fresh vegetables crudités or, my favorite way to eat hummus – with Doritos.

 

 

Green Goddess Hummus

 

Recipe Type:    Snack & Starter    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 5 Minutes    Cook Time: 5 Minutes    Total Time: 10 Minutes    Serves 2 – 4

 

Jazz up regular hummus for a deliciously creamy and refreshingly herby taste with this light-as-a-cloud, herb specked Green Goddess Hummus!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1 – 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic, finely grated
• A few tablespoons water
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 cup canned or boiled chickpeas
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• Salt
• Chopped fresh herbs to garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

 

METHOD

1. Put the fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic and a tablespoon or so of water in the bowl of a food processor or blender.
2. Process or blend until the herbs are well chopped.
3. Add tahini and process or blend again until the mixture looks smooth.
4. Add the chickpeas (drained and rinsed, if canned), ground cumin (if using) and salt. Continue processing or blending until the hummus looks creamy.
5. If needed, add a little water, a teaspoon at a time while blending or processing until the desired consistency of hummus is reached.
6. Taste to check if more lemon juice or salt is needed.
7. Serve hummus swirled in a bowl with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chopped herbs, if liked.