Hummus gets different versions in restaurants in SP – 04/17/2023 – Food

How to prepare the ideal hummus recipe is a complex question to answer in the Middle East. The consistency can be smooth or grainy, the temperature lukewarm or cool, and the additions include fava beans, peppers, and nuts. As in that region, different versions of this paste are gaining more space in restaurants.

One of them is Make Hommus. Not War, in Pinheiros, in the western region of São Paulo, where the recipe also serves as a main course and is available in nine very different versions of the traditional base —which mixes chickpeas, tahini (a paste made with sesame seeds) , lemon and salt.

The flagship of the place is Seu Jacó, a combination in which hummus is served with meat kibbeh, Turkish-style tomato sauce and egg (R$38). But, among the other possibilities, there are dishes in which the paste is accompanied by vegetables and spices, merguez sausage, lamb, mushrooms and kafta. In the dish called shishbarak (R$ 42), the hummus is accompanied by yogurt sauce, a stuffed pasta (which resembles capelete) and half a kibbeh.

The idea of ​​the address, explains owner Fred Caffarena, is to present the influence of cuisine from the Levant, a region that brings together Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Cyprus. Caffarena worked in Middle Eastern kitchens before opening his own house — which spent two years operating through delivery, until he opened a space on Rua Oscar Freire that is being expanded.

“Hummus is a versatile product. I thought of working with it, a dish that people know, identify and have some familiarity with, as a common thread to present Middle Eastern cuisine”, explains Caffare na.

At Azay, a restaurant that opened in January this year in Pinheiros, the paste appears in two versions: blended with beetroot and topped with chickpeas and olive oil (R$36) and a version that has tomato, cucumber, and pepper vinaigrette. , chives, mint, pomegranate and sumac (R$38).

Chef Kleber Klock, who has worked in the kitchens of Arab restaurants Saj and Manish, says that the idea for the creations was to look at other countries in the Mediterranean, like Turkey and Greece. “The idea was to explore the combinations that hummus allows. And the customer reception was great. We even thought of more novelties”, says the cook.

Also in Pinheiros, Shuk’s main inspiration is the cuisine made in Israel. The house offers two versions of hummus: Jerusalem (with olives and pepper sauce, which costs R$34) and pitriot (with sautéed mushrooms, crispy onions and amba, a mango and spice sauce, for R$36).

In addition to the two options, hummus is also used in sandwiches and served on the house’s executive menu. Its owner, Suzana Goldfarb, who has lived in Israel, says that hummus is part of the country’s food base, present in street food, bars and even refined restaurants. According to her, in addition to working as an appetizer, the chickpea paste also transits between other stages of meals —which can be seen on the Shuk menu.

The origin of the dish is not a consensus. For some, it emerged in the 13th century, the same period when tahini appeared in the Middle East region. In the book “Jerusalém – Sabores e Recipes” (ed. Companhia de Mesa), chef Yotam Ottolenghi states that the most likely is that the Levantine or Egyptian Arabs created hummus —but there are debates about the participation of Jews in its emergence .

There is also no consensus. Hummus is gaining ground in restaurants with variations in ingredients and preparations. Houses are inspired by the diversity of the Middle East to create recipes for chickpea paste on how the best hummus recipe is. A major source of contention among Jews, continues Ottolenghi, is over the best hummusia — a simple hummus restaurant that is usually open from breakfast until late afternoon.

But there are recommendations to reach a good result. One of them is to soak the chickpeas in baking soda for 12 hours, to help break down the shell of the chickpeas. After this step, the ingredient goes to the pressure cooker until it becomes soft.

Still soaking in the cooking water, remove as much of the skins as possible. The difference from Shuk’s hummus, explains Suzana Goldfarb, is that you first blend the tahini and water, then add the chickpeas to the processor. Using ice-cold water or ice cubes helps to make the paste creamier.

What will differentiate the amount of lemon is the profile of the tahini that you have at home. If it’s less roasted, just add less lemon. This is the time to test new territories: to the chickpeas, you can add vegetables such as beetroot, cauliflower and carrots — previously roasted or cooked (but without much water). In addition to color, also use spices such as zátar and complements such as pinole. Lastly, adjust the salt and serve.

See tips for making hummus at home

• Give preference to chickpeas with a diameter of 12 mm, which have more pulp and will help to obtain a smoother result.
• When cooking, add a dessert spoon of baking soda to the water for every kilo of chickpeas. It will help remove the skin from the grain and make it softer.
• If your processor is not powerful, beat the recipe for about five minutes, let it rest for ten minutes and blend again.
• A light recipe should have between 25% to 30% of tahini in the composition.

Source: Fred Caffarena, from Make Hommus. not war