# Your favorite nutrient legume paste **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 23, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906 "2021-06-23T18:05:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/21 "2021-06-24T15:46:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > take the time to skin the chickpeas. I do that when making hummus starting with dried chickpeas, as I usually do. My method is to put the fully cooked chickpeas in a large basin of water and scoop up handfuls of beans and rub them between my palms so that the skins loosen and fall off, then float to the top. I skim off the floating skins and repeat the process until boredom sets in and/or I can see I’ve reduced the skin content substantially. It’s not insanely inconvenient, and I always do it because my bible for such dishes (The Middle Eastern Cookbook by Tess Mallos) advises that you must remove the skins for proper hummus. But I always wonder: 1. Is there an easier way? 2. Will the hummus be awful if I skip the skin removal? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/22 "2021-06-24T15:55:34Z")
> [@its\_the\_daddy](#): > > Cashew nut butter is good. I started putting cashew butter in my homemade hummus when I couldn’t find tahini. @ParallelLines should try that. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/23 "2021-06-24T15:57:53Z")
Red lentil _daal_ can be thick enough to be a paste rather than soupy, so that. Or the _anko_ already mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/24 "2021-06-24T16:01:57Z")
Yes–I meant to mention _daal_! My kids hate it, but that just means I can make it spicy. If anyone has a truly spectacular recipe for _daal_, please share–the recipe I’ve used is fine but not amazing. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/25 "2021-06-24T16:13:31Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Agreed that it ain’t hummus without tahini. When I first started making my own hummus there was clearly something missing until I got myself a jar and added a good sized spoonful. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it kind of is in the definition of hummus that it has tahini. The full name in Arabic is _hummus bi-t tahina_ . Make it how you want, but chickpeas and sesame paste I feel are the defining qualities of hummus > [@Skywatcher](#): > > I started putting cashew butter in my homemade hummus when I couldn’t find tahini. @ParallelLines should try that. I don’t disagree with Tahini in hummus, again I just wasn’t using it in _anything_ else. And I was using something moderately priced like [this](https://www.amazon.com/365-Everyday-Value-Organic-Tahini/dp/B074H5LWYM/ref=sr_1_5_0o_wf?dchild=1&keywords=tahini&qid=1624550987&sr=8-5) which was a decent value at $6.39 for a pound. But I was still only using 4-5 tablespoons before throwing it out, which made me feel bad. Cashew nut butter sounds like a good compromise, since I can get smaller quantities or make it myself in small batches… My biggest problem with hummus is that I find myself using it as an excuse to eat an upsetting amount of empty carbs by the way of delicious crusty breads, whole wheat pitas, or chips. I should be using it to eat more veggies, but most veggies that work for the purpose (and I like, blech on celery) I’d rather eat on their own (red bell peppers, carrots). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/26 "2021-06-24T16:13:55Z")
That’s exactly the way I do it with dried or canned chickpeas. You can skip it, but I do find it makes a difference that is big enough to me that I always do it once having learned it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/27 "2021-06-24T16:15:06Z")
Why are you throwing it out? My tahini lasts well over a year in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/28 "2021-06-25T00:23:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it kind of is in the definition of hummus that it has tahini. The full name in Arabic is _hummus bi-t tahina_ . Make it how you want, but chickpeas and sesame paste I feel are the defining qualities of hummus. Actually “hummus bi tahina” word for word translates as “chickpeas with sesame.” (In Egyptian Arabic, anyway; that’s the only dialect I ever studied.) The word “hummus” by itself just means chickpeas, no sesame paste implied. But I agree, in English if I say “hummus” I mean the chickpea-and-tahini mix. I generally feel like a good hummus should also have lemon juice, but I recently found a tasty substitute/addition: olive juice! Now when I buy those giant Costco jars of green olives, I save the juice and use a big slug of it along with the chickpeas and tahini. Don’t add salt up front because the olive juice is quite salty and you probably won’t need any. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/29 "2021-06-25T01:39:20Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I generally feel like a good hummus should also have lemon juice, but I recently found a tasty substitute/addition: olive juice! I swear to god, I started salivating as soon as I saw this. It sounds stupendous and I can’t wait to try it. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Why are you throwing it out? My tahini lasts well over a year in the fridge. Agree. This thread got me to wander over to my (unrefrigerated) tahini jar and give it a sniff. No unpleasant odor whatsoever (hey! A [three word compound!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-word-compound/944877/47)) and I’m sure it’s well over a year old, probably more like two since I really only use it for hummus to bring to gatherings that have been mostly suspended the last year+. FWIW, it has a use by date of 6/2022. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/30 "2021-06-25T01:45:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Why are you throwing it out? My tahini lasts well over a year in the fridge. Perhaps I am being too cautions. Nonetheless (also triple word score) it was past it’s sell by date, and I was uncomfortable with it, even if it passed the smell test. Because of my carb addiction, I was only making hummus every other month or so though. When you make one batch (14-16oz of chickpea base) and end up going through 2 + bags of pitas… It’s also been less since most of my local friends moved away and it’s just me and the wife in house. Although I’ve had some luck with freezing hummus. I should experiment again. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/31 "2021-06-25T15:17:22Z")
Do what I do: make vast amounts and use hummus as a summery entree. Fill a bowl with a big schlop of hummus, sprinkle with paprika, and add all the toppings like it was ramen: Pickled onions (thin sliced onions in vinegar with sugar, ready in a few hours), carrots, radishes, thin sliced roasted meat of some kind, and voila! Eat More Hummus! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/32 "2021-06-25T16:05:56Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Fill a bowl with a big schlop of hummus, sprinkle with paprika, and add all the toppings like it was ramen: Pickled onions (thin sliced onions in vinegar with sugar, ready in a few hours), carrots, radishes, thin sliced roasted meat of some kind, and voila! Believe it or not, you have just described a variation on the main course for a dinner party I’m holding tomorrow night. I’m doing my version of a dish I used to love at a Turkish restaurant in Indonesia - they called it “etli hummus.” Basically, a big bowl of hummus filled with chunks of delicious roast lamb. I’m serving a carrot salad on the side! ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906/33 "2021-06-25T16:49:47Z")
Yes! Lamb and hummus are a natural pairing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-nutrient-legume-paste/944906.md?page=1)