Aubergine Hummus

I’ve always loved hummus and been making it for years. But on my first trip to Israel, I realized that the Israeli hummus is quite different from the one found on European supermarket shelves. More creamy and mild in taste, and made with heaps of tahini, the sesame paste that’s essential on any Israeli table.

You often come across hummus bowls with filling toppings in Israel – sometimes it’s with lamb (like in my recipe here), or vegan like in this aubergine hummus. I’ve baked the aubergine cubes in the oven until soft and seasoned them with cumin and smoked paprika. You could add some feta too for more saltiness.

This is a recipe from my cookbook ‘Flavours of Home’. You can watch me make the recipe here.

Just a note on tahini: Make sure you buy a really good tahini: a light-coloured, runny one, that is so smooth and silky it could be eaten with a spoon straight out of the jar. I’ve tried many brands and am quite loyal to the red-capped Al Arz brand, which is in fact Israeli. You can order it online or find it in some Luxembourg supermarkets.

This recipe was created as part of my “Staycation” show, inspiring people with recipes from my travels that they can recreate at home – to get us all to travel in our minds despite being stuck at home this summer…

Ingredients

200g chickpeas from a jar, drained weight
¼ tsp salt
1 small garlic clove
125g tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
75ml ice cold water

For the aubergine topping:
1 aubergine
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
10g pine nuts
a handful coriander, chopped
a handful pomegranate seeds

Method

Makes 1 bowl for 4 people

For the aubergine topping:
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Cut the aubergine into 1cm cubes. Put on a baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil, toss with the cumin and smoked paprika powder and generously sprinkle with salt. Make sure the aubergines are spread out in one layer.

Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until soft, giving the aubergines a stir half-way through.

For the hummus:
Meanwhile, put the chickpeas in a food processor with the salt. Peel and crush the garlic and add to the blender. Blend into a stiff paste.

Add the tahini and lemon juice, then slowly drizzle the cold water* and keep on mixing for about a couple of minutes until you get a super smooth and creamy hummus. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice if needed.

Put the hummus in a bowl, make a small well in the middle and spoon the auberine topping on top.

Toast he pine nuts in a frying pan and sprinkle over the aubergines with the pomegranate seeds and coriander.

Serve with pitta bread or crackers.

*the amount of water you need depends on how runny your tahini is. You might need a lot more in order to get your desired consistency, so don’t be shy to add more.