I hated hummus, until now
The definition of hummus in the OED starts with the phrase “a thick paste. . .”
You know what else is a thick paste? Cement. Spackling compound. Basically stuff we use to glue stuff together.
Cold, dense, sticky, homogeneous, the color of a Portland sky in winter with an approaching storm.
Truth? Hummus was one of my least favorite foods. On Earth.
Enter hummus kassa, and my world turns upside down. In a good way.
WTAF is hummus kassa?
Hummus kassa is an ancient Egyptian concoction that I’m sure was only eaten by pharaohs, their favorite concubines, and whatever foreign dignitaries a particular pharaoh wanted to impress.
It has more ingredients than pretty much anything I’ve ever cooked. And somehow this leads to a magical, layered complexity of distinct flavors that cuts through the canonical pastiness of more normative hummus.
This slightly adapted hummus recipe hails from Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table (Kanz al-fawa’id fi tanwi al-mawa’id), a 14th-century Egyptian cookbook. And we know that by the time things get written down, they’ve actually been around for a lot longer.
Hummus kassa calls for an overwhelming number of ingredients. I enjoy being overwhelmed.
But if you don’t, you could leave out some of them. Just DO NOT leave out the mint, rose, caraway, cinnamon, or Atraf al-tib spice mix.
Ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons white wine or rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - Ceylon is best
1/4 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt - less if including olives
Juice of 1 small to medium-sized lemon
1/2 cup olives (chopped) (optional—I left these out both times I made the hummus)
1 teaspoon atraf al-tib (a medieval spice mix. See recipe below)
Preparation
Soak chickpeas in water for 8 hours, drain, and cook until very soft (about 90 minutes). You can also put the unsoaked beans and 3 cups of water in an instant pot. Cook at high pressure for 50 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. Drain off the water and rinse before grinding the beans.
Crush or chop all nuts.
Process chickpeas in a food processor until smooth or mash them by hand.
Add 1/2 cup water and all other ingredients to the mashed chickpeas. Blend until smooth or leave slightly coarse for a rustic texture.
Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld. This step will make your hummus flavors dazzle.
Serve at room temperature garnished with rose petals and a drizzle of olive oil. Accompany with raw veggie sticks, flatbread, or crackers.
Atraf al-tib
Atraf al-tīb (أطراف الطِّيب) is a medieval aromatic spice blend used in cooking in various Arab countries of yore. It smells heavenly. I imagine it would be a delicious seasoner of meats, condiments, and maybe even tea or coffee.
Grind very finely, then mix:
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon long pepper (or an extra 1/2 teaspoon black pepper if unavailable)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds (from green pods)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon mace (or increase nutmeg slightly)
1 teaspoon dried rose petals or buds (culinary-grade)
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried spikenard (if you can find it; otherwise omit)
Store airtight.
Classical ingredient list (for reference)
Arabic sources describe atraf al-tib as sometimes including lavender, betel nut, and beechnut in addition to the ingredients listed above.
Enjoy!
With infinite love,
Shambhavi
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