Hummus Made with Chana Dal

 

I learned from the Smitten Kitchen blog that the secret to "ethereally smooth" hummus is to either peel whole cooked chickpeas, or to make it with chana dal, split chickpeas that have already been peeled. 

I bought a 4 lb bag of chana dal at a local Indian grocery for $6.49 and cooked them using my preferred crockpot method:

• 8 oz chana dal, unsoaked
• 3.5 c water
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Cook the dal on high in the crockpot until the dal are tender but still holding their shape. Start checking them at about 2.5 hours. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and allow to cool. Once cool, process the dal in a food processor for 1 min until powdery clumps form.

Add:

• 1/2 c tahini
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• A litte paprika if wanted

Process until well-blended, then gradually add cooking liquid through the top of the processor while it's running, 1 tbsp at a time, until smooth and creamy. 1/4 c worked well for this batch.