Best Hummus Ever

Soak chickpeas overnight or up to 24 hours in plenty of water. Drain, rinse and place in a pot. Cover with plenty of water again, add bicarbonate of soda, bring to a boil and cook, covered, until chickpeas are very soft. It will take more than 1 hour, depending on size and age of the chickpeas.

When chickpeas are soft, drain, reserving some of the cooking water (about 1 cup of it). Set aside to cool. Weigh 250g (8 7/8 ounces) cooked chickpeas and freeze the rest.

Place chickpeas in the food processor. Add grated garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin, coriander, sweet and hot paprika, and process until very smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor bowl a few times in between. Add some cooking water little by little to obtain the desired consistency. You don’t have to add it all, just stop when you think the consistency is right; it should have more or less the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Adjust taste with more lemon juice or salt. Transfer to a bowl, add a small splash of olive oil on top and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Enjoy on bread, with bread chips or vegetable sticks or even as a side dish for meatballs, chicken or lamb.