• 820 g tinned chickpeas, drained, but keep the liquid
•  2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
•  75 ml sunflower or olive oil
•  5 ml cumin seeds
•  5 ml ground cumin
•  100 ml lemon juice
•  ¼ tsp salt
•  black pepper to taste

Serving size:  6
Preparation Time:  45 minutes

A chickpea dip, also known as hummus, is traditionally made with tahini which is a sesame seed paste. Tahini, however, can be expensive or difficult to find. By roasting half of the chickpeas with cumin seeds before blending them, the hummus still has a nutty flavour.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °c and line a small baking tray with foil. Pat chickpeas dry with a paper towel. Place 1 of the tins of chickpeas with the garlic, 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the oil and cumin seeds in a large bowl and mix to coat the chickpeas.
2. Place the oil-coated chickpeas with the seasonings on the baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
3. Place roasted chickpeas with the oil and seasonings from the tray, in a large bowl. Add the remaining chickpeas, oil, ground cumin and lemon juice. Add 50 ml of the reserved liquid from the tin. Blend to form a chunky mixture and season to taste. Add more water, if you prefer a smoother dip.
4. Serve as part of a lunch with fresh veggies like carrots, celery, cucumber and green beans. It is also delicious spread onto bread, any sandwich or as a dip for whole-wheat pita wedges.

Tip:

1. Refrigerate dip in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
2. If preferred, stir in a little plain low-fat yoghurt for a creamier dip.

Recipe by Pharma Dynamics
Cooking from the heart