Hummus : A protein rich yummy dip

I love hummus ! The best of course is with falafel, but I like it with fresh cucumber and carrot, or drizzled on my salad or as a sandwich spread. Here is a simple recipe to hummus. 

Soaked chickpeas : 1 1/2 cups 

Toasted white sesame : 2-3 tbsp (just toast white sesame in a skillet till it turn beige) 

Olive oil: 3 tbsp

Garlic : 6 big pods 

Lemon juice : from 1 medium sized lemon 

Salt : to taste

Paprika : to taste 

• Soak chickpeas overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours
• Cook well in a pressure cooker. Since the duration of cooking varies according to the type of chickpeas, I cook it till the point it’s nice and soft but has not lost its shape 
• I used roasted sesame and olive oil instead using tahini, only cause it’s easier for me to do and I don’t use tahini on a day to day basis 
• In a mixer, grind sesame seeds and garlic along with olive oil and lime juice. This helps to ensure that all the smaller items are evenly blended . I made the mistake once of reversing the order and ended up with rather unsavory bits of garlic and whole sesame in my hummus . In case if a small batch that you are making, use a spoon or two of chickpeas for volume and an even blend. Add more olive oil if you like 
• Once you have a smooth blend , add the rest of the chickpeas , salt and paprika.
• To vary the consistency you could use some of the water that you boiled the chickpeas in, else use lukewarm water.Luke warm water gives it a creamier consistency according to me 

Vary the quantity of lime juice , sesame and garlic according to taste. Before serving, drizzle some olive oil and paprika on top. 

This hummus lasts a good week, before the taste changes.