---
title: "What’s cooking today: Hummus & Tahini"
description: "Hummus and tahini go hand-in-glove; the former wouldn’t be the same without the latter. So make tahini first, then make your own hummus. Hummus is a chickpea paste packed with garlic, as well as lemon and often cumin. Tahini is all about sesame seeds. And hummus contains a good dollop of tahini."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "TGIFOOD"
author: "Tony Jackman"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/tonyjackman/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-01-25-whats-cooking-today-hummus-tahini/"
published: "2021-01-25T12:39:11"
updated: "2021-10-25T12:41:31"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 466
---

# What’s cooking today: Hummus & Tahini

> Hummus and tahini go hand-in-glove; the former wouldn’t be the same without the latter. So make tahini first, then make your own hummus. Hummus is a chickpea paste packed with garlic, as well as lemon and often cumin. Tahini is all about sesame seeds. And hummus contains a good dollop of tahini.

By Tony Jackman · Published 25 January 2021, 14:39 SAST · Updated 25 October 2021, 14:41 SAST

## Content

The tahini I made is fairly thin, but you can make it thicker simply by using a greater quantity of sesame seeds. The proportions are not fixed: it will be as thick, or as thin, as you choose to make it. I made a small quantity as I was only making it for use in hummus. Double, triple or quadruple the quantities to your whim.

**Tahini**

**Ingredients**

White sesame seeds (I used 100 g but use much more if you like)

Olive oil (only a Tbsp at the time to each the required consistency)

Sesame oil (optional, start with 1 tsp, only use a small quantity)

**Method**

Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over a low heat. Shake the pan often, and give it an occasional toss to turn the seeds over. Allow them to attain a pale golden hue, and turn off the heat immediately if the pan starts smoking.

Pour the seeds into the grinder bowl of a blender, or grind with a hand-held stick blender in a deep bowl, until the seeds are broken up coarsely. Add a Tbsp of a mild olive oil at a time (and/or sesame oil if you have some to hand), blending until the tahini is smooth and creamy and of a consistency that you like. It can be thick or thin, as you prefer. You can salt it lightly if you like.

**Hummus**

**Ingredients**

1 x 400 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 large garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 scant tsp ground cumin (optional)

60 ml olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp tahini

1 or 2 additional Tbsp olive oil for dressing

Parsley, or ground cumin, or paprika, for dressing

Water as required

**Method**

Note that canned chickpeas are already cooked so you do not need to boil them first. Blitz the chickpeas with 60 ml olive oil until smooth. Add 2 Tbsp water, the lemon juice, the garlic and tahini (and cumin if using) and continue to blend until completely smooth. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a little more water and blend some more.

Spoon the hummus onto a presentation plate and draw the round side of a dessert spoon around it three or four times to create a classic swirl as in the photograph. Drizzle a little more olive oil over it so that it collects in the troughs created by your swirling expertise.

Garnish it with chopped parsley or a few shakes of paprika or ground cumin. **DM/TGIFood**

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