Tuesday, July 19, 2011

#99 - Build a sandwich bento

I made hummus for the first time yesterday. I never tasted it before too! Do you know how hard it is to make something that you never tasted before? I have no idea if my hummus actually tastes like hummus ;) But I did use it in a bento today ;)


I bought some Turkish bread to go with the hummus in the star shaped cups. I heard it wasn't a good idea to spread the hummus already on there because the bread would get too soggy. That is why I gave it to Zeronic in another container so he can build a sandwich at work. For veggies to top or to dip there are red paprika, cucumber, spinach leaves (hiding under the cucumber) and spring onions. The vegetables are all organic and the bento is completely vegan, even the bread. I didn't realise this when I was putting the bento together and it won't be a the norm from now on. But it might be something I will be trying.

I will share the hummus recipe that I used, however do keep in mind that everybody makes a different kind of hummus. Seriously I have never seen so many different recipes out there for a single dish! And I am not totally satisfied with my hummus. I found it a bit too sour while I already reduced the amount of lemon juice. I used a base version from the vegetarian student cookbook, but I adjusted so many aspects of the recipe, that you can't even compare it to the original anymore. So here is my version:

Hummus: (makes about a jar full)
- 300gr chickpeas (I used canned)
- 1 large glove of garlic (or 2 small ones), grated
- 100 ml lemon juice (but will use even less next time)
- 4 tbsp tahin (sesame paste, buy in a organic store)
- some water
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. I removed all these pesky little skins from the chickpeas. You don't have to but we both don't like skins of any sort so I removed them. I placed all the chickpeas into the kitchen machine and chopped them up nicely. Then I added the grated garlic. I added the tahin and the lemon juice gradually. Keep tasting here, because it is hard to find a balance. Make sure to stir really well every time you add some. Too much tahin can make it bitter and too much lemon juice can make it sour. I added some water because my hummus was too thick (and it will become thicker when you cool it). Lastly I added the spices. And here also tasting is the key. Set the hummus away to cool for at least one hour. Before serving you want to add some olive oil to make it more smooth again. Hummus can be stored up to a week in the fridge, if you cover it up.

7 comments:

  1. Now hand that bento over! Or.. or.. I will faint and cry ;P

    Very brave of you to make hummus yourself without ever having eaten it before! I know how hard it is to make a recipe of something when you have no idea how it should taste... :\

    Tip to get a creamy hummus: do not put everything in the blender together, keep the chickpeas aside and blend the tahin & other ingredients first. Then add the garbanzos a hand at the time.

    Putting some grilled paprika in your hummus is really nice as well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes dear, u can use 1/4 inch fresh ginger and 5 flakes of garlic and turn them into a paste by grinding. Or else u can use ready made ginger -garlic paste.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Gnoe: Thanks for the tips :) I didn't use the blender anymore after I mashed up the chickpeas. I stirred everything by hand :)

    @Raksha: Thank you for answering my question on your blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm probably one of the few vegetarians out there who does not like hummus, lol. I will eat chickpeas whole in soup, but that's about it.
    Your bento box looks lovely; what makes the bread turkish?

    ReplyDelete
  5. @TheBookGirl:

    in the Netherlands we call bread bought in a Turkish Bakery, Turkish Bread. The main difference that it is one big round loaf unlike the square or rectangular normal bread :) They also use different ingredients and they make the bread often vegan.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Way to go you! Hummus is indeed easy, tasty and can be adapted to your own preferences. Love the way your bento looks :)

    ReplyDelete