Chickpea Spread/Dip

I have my waves of eating hummus. I hardly, if ever, purchase it because it is so easy to make. My favorite recipe for the "classic" hummus is from Ina Garten. Hers is loaded with lots of fresh lemon and also includes tahini, garlic and a dash of cayenne. I'm a huge fan because I love lemon in hummus.

I was having people over for dinner and I was thumbing through a bunch of apps and came upon this Indian chickpea spread. I noticed the ingredient list was pretty different from what I was used to making. It is more of a spread/dip with a base of chickpeas because it doesn't include the main ingredient technically found in hummus: tahini. Instead it includes garam masala, coriander, cumin, diced tomatoes, minced onions, lime juice, and fresh cilantro.

I have to say, I wasn't totally thrilled with it. As you can see, I was eating this with some whole wheat pita bread--dip-style. I ate it when it was still warm and the flavors seemed to have not made friends with each other yet. Like most dips, they usually taste way better with at least a few hours in the fridge, or better yet, the next day. So I ate some warm. Meh. I then ate some the next day straight out of the fridge with more pita bread. Better. But still not a major fan. I think I might enjoy this as a spread for a sandwich with greens and some crunchy veg. I know I am not done with this dip, I know that, I'm just not sure how I like to eat it.

How about you?

Indian Chickpea Spread

Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Fav's

makes 2 cups

1/2 cup minced onions

1 tsp veg oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (16 oz can)

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

In a skillet saute the onions in oil on low heat for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, garam masala, and cayenne and saute for a couple of minutes and stir constantly to prevent sticking. Add the tomatoes, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid. Throw them in a food processor and grind until smooth adding the reserved liquid a little at a time. Stir the puree into the tomato mixture and add the lime juice and cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add salt to taste. When using organic, low sodium chickpeas, as I did, note that you may need to double the measures of spices and salt. I usually amp-up the spices in any dish, but that's just me.