As a hummus enthusiast, I’m always on the hunt for fresh recipes to experiment with. When I stumbled upon Nigella Lawson’s unique twist on the classic dip – swapping tahini for peanut butter – I was intrigued and eager to give it a whirl.
This innovative recipe first made its appearance in Nigella’s 2010 cookbook Kitchen, before being featured on her website. Nigella introduces this recipe with a playful jest about its lack of ‘elegance’ in name, but assures that it is indeed an elegant dish. After trying it out, I can confirm that this will be my go-to hummus for future gatherings.
The recipe was straightforward and simply required blending all the ingredients together.
The original recipe suggests Greek yoghurt, but I opted for a plant-based alternative that worked just as well. This tweak allowed me to share the hummus with my vegan partner and friends rather than devouring it all myself.
Despite the generous amount of peanut butter used, the hummus didn’t taste as nutty as I had anticipated. Nonetheless, it was absolutely scrumptious and is quickly becoming one of my favourite hummus recipes.
The only downside to this culinary adventure was the post-cooking clean-up, particularly the blender.
Ingredients
- 800g chickpeas (two cans)
- One garlic clove, peeled
- 60 ml of olive oil
- Six tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
- Three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- Two teaspoons of Maldon sea salt flakes, or one teaspoon of pouring salt
- Two teaspoons of ground cumin
- Four or five tablespoons of Greek yoghurt (plant-based or dairy)
- Two tablespoons of peanuts, finely chopped
- One teaspoon of smoked paprika
Method
Start by draining and rinsing the chickpeas. Place the garlic clove, chickpeas, three tablespoons oil, peanut butter, lemon juice, salt and cumin into a food processor and blitz until you have a knobbly purée.
Next, add four tablespoons of the Greek yoghurt and blend again. If the hummus is still too thick, add another spoonful of yoghurt and olive oil.
Nigella points out that the consistency often depends on the type of chickpeas used, as different varieties can affect the thickness of the hummus.
Adjust the flavour by adding more lemon juice and/or salt, if required.
Before serving, combine the chopped peanuts with the paprika and sprinkle this mixture over the hummus.