Ask a Chef reveals the secrets of those superb dishes you ate in cafes and restaurants and wanted to try yourself.
No 7 Balmac's hummus
Ingredients
500g cooked chickpeas
4 cloves garlic
1 large red chilli
bunch coriander, mint
2 Tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1-2 lemons
2-3 tsp toasted ground cumin
salt and cracked pepper
75ml extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Cook soaked chickpeas with garlic cloves but no salt.
When cooked, drain chickpeas, reserving some of the liquor. Place chickpeas in food processor with the garlic and chilli.
Chop the coriander and mint roots and stems and add to processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend to a rough sort of puree (don't overprocess). Add a little of the cooking liquor to loosen and soften the mix.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. You are looking for a well-balanced flavour. It should be garlicky and zesty with a warm note of spice creeping through.
Requested by Jenny Ward of Dunedin.
This recipe comes from No 7 Balmac in Maori Hill, Dunedin.
If you have enjoyed a dish at an Otago cafe or restaurant and would like the recipe, write to Ask a Chef, Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin, fax 474-7422, or email odt.features@odt.co.nz, including your name, address and a daytime telephone number, and we will request it.
