It will go down in history as the great hummus crisis of 2017 – the week supermarkets brought Britain to its knees by stripping their shelves of the nation’s favourite chickpea-based dip, although, in truth, the subsequent hysteria on social media will probably offer more interesting fodder for future historians. Emotionally distressed devotees of the beige paste described the situation, tongues only slightly wedged in cheeks, as nothing short of “the end of the world” – although in all probability it was Twitter complaints about a “very peculiar” metallic tang in many supermarket brands that led to withdrawal of the own-brand ranges in the first place.
International food producing giant Bakkavor, who supply hummus to Sainsbury’s among others, confirmed it had contacted the supermarkets concerned to warn them of a problem in the manufacturing process, which had given its hummus an odd flavour (it was keen to stress this was not a food-safety concern). How serious a situation is it? Well, figures suggest almost half of the UK population has a pot of hummus waiting for them in the fridge at any given time (more than twice the number of any other European country according to a 2013 survey), and when you look at the scale of the shortage – it has been withdrawn from sale at some of the country’s largest retail chains – you can be forgiven for considering this a genuine crisis. In fact, however, it’s a storm in a blender, because it’s stupidly easy to make hummus that is far superior to any commercial version at home – and a lot cheaper, too.
One enterprising Sainsbury’s store in Chertsey acknowledged this, taping a recipe for hummus on the empty shelves along with directions on where to find all the constituent parts. As they failed to specify quantities for any of the ingredients, though, the results are likely to be a bit of a Levantine roulette. Customers hoping for an exact replica are likely to be disappointed, because, even if they guess the amounts correctly, using olive oil rather than the cheaper rapeseed and water in standard supermarket hummus is likely to make it taste rather different. Better in fact. Perhaps it will even tempt them to change their habits in future.
Just how this Middle Eastern favourite became such a staple on our cold, grey island is unclear; Waitrose was the first major supermarket to introduce it back in the 80s, but it didn’t go really mainstream until the mid-90s, when, along with exotica such as sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, it came to represent the cosmopolitan sunny optimism of New Labour – Peter Mandelson is apparently a big fan of hummus (it’s also said to be a favourite of Jeremy Corbyn). Unlike the politicians of the time, however, it has stuck around, perhaps thanks to the efforts of Yotam Ottolenghi in bringing Middle Eastern flavours to the national table. Hummus with carrot sticks now seems to be as much a part of many modern British childhoods as bread and dripping was in my grandparents’ day. Those of you suffering withdrawal this week, read on and you too can make the perfect emergency hummus in less than five minutes.
The chickpeas
I would be so bold as to claim that hummus has been a victim of its own success – until now it has been so easy to pick up a tub that only the most discerning, or perhaps impecunious, fans have bothered to make their own. I can’t entirely absolve myself of blame; back in 2011, I published a recipe for perfect hummus calling for dried chickpeas, which need soaking for 24 hours, and boiling for up to four before they are ready to use. I stand by my claim that this will generally give the best results, but I would also concede, with the wisdom of age, that it is possible to make delicious hummus with the tinned sort – and an awful lot quicker, too. Even the Lebanese food icon Anissa Helou, who doesn’t like “the taste or texture of tinned food”, admits that, although she used to make hummus “the old-fashioned slow way”, she now favours “jars of excellent ready-cooked chickpeas” instead – and I’m inclined to agree. The Rolls-Royce of legumes, and priced accordingly, these plump golden peas make the richest, butteriest hummus I’ve ever tasted. But you don’t need to push the boat out – even basic ranges will do, and unless you’ve got a fetish for silky smoothness in the dip department, there’s no need to spend ages rubbing the skins off the things either as some suggest.
The tahini
You will need tahini. Nigella Lawson prefers peanut butter, and you can certainly substitute this if panicked desperation has cleared the tahini shelves, too, but, although it will taste good, it won’t taste much like hummus. Whichever you go for however, for maximum creaminess, mix it with lemon juice and water before adding it to the chickpeas.
The liquid
My original recipe uses the chickpea cooking water – an ingredient that, in the intervening years, has been rebranded as aquafaba and the saviour of vegans everywhere, thanks to its miraculous ability to whip up just like egg whites. Because the liquid from the tin is likely to be more concentrated than your cooking water, the resulting hummus will be even lighter and airier.
The flavourings
The traditional flavourings of garlic and lemon juice are far nicer than any commercially made pesto or red-onion novelty acts, which also tend to contain oil of some sort. I don’t think you need any oil in the dip itself, but a generous drizzle on top not only tastes good, it looks pretty fancy, too. Almost worthy of Ottolenghi himself in fact … and certainly better than any supermarket version.
Perfect quick hummus
(Serves 4)
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
1-2 garlic cloves, according to taste, crushed
Salt, to taste
Olive oil, to top
Drain the chickpeas, reserving the water and setting a few aside as a garnish. Mix the tahini with most of the lemon juice and half the garlic, then stir in enough of the liquid to make a loose paste. Put all of this in a food processor with the chickpeas and whizz until smooth.
Add a pinch of salt, then gradually tip in more of the liquid until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if necessary.
Serve drizzled with oil and garnished with the remaining chickpeas.
