Jalapeño Hummus

Slighty over a year ago I wrote an article about my attempt to make homemade hummus here in the Philippines. I continued making that in various forms for awhile (American usage of that term), but gave on it up once I got the stomach issues that sidelined me for a couple of months. It took me quite some time after I was feeling better to get back on track.

Of course I had the mysterious death of the Chinese Vitamix Knockoff, so I now resort to using the tired but steady real Vitamix, with a hefty 2000w step down transformer. The transformer weighs a ton, or so, but it’s working out just fine for the intended use. Thankfully I only need to move it around once or twice a week to produce my new and improved hummus.

I quickly gave up on buying dried beans, soaking them, cooking them and more often than not debugging them (real bugs, not the computer type). Even before I restarted my hummus making I had switched to buying canned garbanzos. Considering the low quality of the dried ones I was buying, I don’t view this as a negative move. I’m able to get some “natural” (whatever that means) canned garbanzos for about P40, so it’s not as cheap, but certainly more convenient. They are readily available at Gmall and NCCC Supermarkets. Probably elsewhere.

Anyway upon starting up production again, I realized that I was adding many things to the recipe that I didn’t particularly care about. I was just following the recipe I had, with a few slight adjustments. I wasn’t unhappy with the results of that recipe, but I knew I could produce something that I’d like better. That’s when I decided to research the hummus that I’d been buying in Spokane to see if I could gain any knowledge about their ingredients.

I was buying a few different hummuses there, but towards the end had mostly settled on Lilly’s Hummus, a local brand out of Oregon. My favorites were the Kalamata Olive and the Roasted Jalapeño. The latter about 4 to 1, as my favorite. Much to my surprise they listed all the ingredients for all their products. Imagine giving your customers, and potential customers, information that is useful for THEM. I sure do miss that kind of service, quality and customer service.

Reading through the ingredients of the Roasted Jalapeño – Organic Garbanzo Beans, Roasted Jalapeno Peppers, Olive Oil, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Sea-Salt, Citric Acid – I quickly understood that I could really simplify my recipe. Though they don’t list how much of any these they use, I adapted these to my use with a few exceptions. I don’t add any citric acid, my jalapeños are not roasted, and I use a local lemon substitute.

Calamansi are a natural lemon substitute and are readily available here. They are also cheap and add, what I feel, is an even better flavor over the lemons back home. I think these are my secret ingredient. Maybe not so secret anymore, but I’m sharing.

So my recipe goes something like this:

1 can Garbanzos (Chickpeas) – standard can 400g
1/2 of the liquid from the can
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Some Sea Salt – I don’t measure, just shake a little in
4 Calamansi juice (squeezed)
1 Garlic Clove
Various amounts of Sliced Jalapeño – as hot or mild as you like

That’s the whole thing. I mix it on low to medium in the Vitamix. If it’s pretty thick, I need to help it along with a spoon, or you can add more liquid/water if you prefer a smoother, runnier hummus.

I make smaller batches now, as it stays fresh until I can use it up. You could, of course, make larger batches by doubling, tripling, etc. the ingredients.

I’m pretty happy with the latest version of my hummus. I have it for lunch whenever I’m home. I often use Skyflakes as the dipper, but sometimes tortilla chips or crackers if I can find some good ones that aren’t priced out of sight.

Who knows, maybe I’ll have a new recipe by this time next year. I’ll keep you updated.