In a delicious collab with other lovely foodies, I decided to recreate my regular Roasted Garlic Hummus. Thus, this Roasted Spice and Garlic Hummus was born, to elevate the flavor.
Usually, in any hummus I make, I season with za’atar seasoning, a Middle Eastern blend of herbs, spices like sumac, and sesame (read more about it here).
So I thought, why not try a new spice medley in one of my favorite foods all year round: hummus.
Hummus is a staple in my fridge. You can make beautiful veggie and chip platters for parties, or just have a bowl with chopped veggies at home. It’s nutritionally dense, and just delicious. The best part: you can play with so many different flavors!
The spice options included choosing 2 or more from:
- Cardamom
- Saffron
- Fennel
- Cumin
- Coriander
So naturally, I thought, “Hey, this is a great way to use all of them!”.
All of these spices are heavily used in Sri Lankan and South Asian cooking, with Ayurvedic benefits as “cooling” spices. To learn more about Ayurvedic cooling foods, check out Banyan Botanicals, one company I buy Ayurvedic supplements from!
Anyways, this hummus is extremely easy to make! The little love and time you put into this will go a long way in the texture and flavor!
Hope you enjoy this roasted spice and garlic hummus as I do this summer 🙂 Or try my Herb-mus. Or try both!
Roasted Spice and Garlic Hummus
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
To Slow Roast
- 3 small whole garlic bulbs
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 5-6 green cardamom pods
For Hummus
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans or dry chickpeas soaked overnight
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 small lemons juice squeezed
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 cup ice cold water
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped cilantro optional
Directions
Ingredient Prep
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Cut off the heads of the garlic bulbs, and place in an oven safe dish, sliced heads facing up. Drizzle olive oil generously over the tops and sprinkle with salt.
- Add in all of your spices to roast on the other side of the pan, not touching the oil.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil, and roast in the oven for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, add your canned or soaked chickpeas to a pot, with baking soda and enough water to cover the beans. Boil for 20 minutes or until just bloated and skins fall off.
- Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Soak pinch of saffron in the ice cold water. Set aside.
Hummus
- Once your garlic is roasted, squeeze each clove out of its socket (should be very easy and soft, just be careful if handling hot). Place ⅔ of the garlic in the food processor, and let cool.
- In a spice grinder, grind all of your spices down to a medium grind. Add most of this to the roasted garlic in the food processor, leaving behind a few pinches to sprinkle later.
- Once the garlic is cool, add salt and lemon. Blend together until the garlic is chopped.
- Add in your tahini, and blend with your lemon-garlic mixture. Add in ¼ cup of the ice cold saffron-infused water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a pale, lightly pink, creamy mixture.
- Now, add in your cooked chickpeas and 1 tablespoon of EVOO. Blend. If necessary, keep adding more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired creaminess.
- Check for salt, and if needed, add more and blend. If not, transfer to a serving dish.
- Top with the remaining EVOO, spice mixture, roasted garlic, and chopped cilantro. Serve with warm pita chips or bread, or a veggie platter!