Description
Great as a spread on a sandwich loaded with grilled vegetables, a terrific alternative to traditional chickpea hummus. Lend a little colour to your kitchen with Red Lentil Hummus.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 cups water
- 3 – 4 tablespoons tahini
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (add as needed)
- 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or black pepper)
Instructions
- Rinse red lentils well under cold water. Remove any debris you find, then soak in cold water for about 10 minutes.
- Put lentils, water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce temperature to simmer for 5 – 7 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy. You know they’re done if they crush to a pulp between your thumb and forefinger.
- Rinse, drain well and cool. Once cool add lentils, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, remaining salt, and chillies to food processor bowl, pulse for a few seconds to mix then add olive oil until desired consistency is reached. you don’t want it too runny, so add only as much olive oil as needed depending on how wet (or dry) your lentils are. Taste. Adjust seasoning and tahini as needed and zip it at full speed until your red lentil hummus is a smooth paste.
Notes
Personally I don’t like hummus to be to heavy with tahini, so I use less than most recipes call for, thus my note in the recipe with a variance of tahini. Personal taste will dictate your level of sesame, salt and heat, so taste and adjust as needed. Finish with a good olive oil and top with dried chillies or some crumbled feta cheese and serve. Red lentil hummus holds well in the fridge, for a week or more. Or portion the batch into small, serving-sized packages and freeze. Then just thaw, stir and snack when hunger hits.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dip / Spread
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern