Sprouted hummus

• 500g dry chickpeas
• 115g tahini
• At least 15g (~5 cloves) garlic, more is good garlic good
• 100g lemon juice (in a pinch: lime juice, or 1:1 vinegar/water, or 3g citric acid in 100g water)
• 15g salt (flavourful salt good)
• 270g olive oil
• 300g water
• Pinch of brown sugar
• Optional: extra flavours (try a bit of miso, chili etc.)

• a large container or pot
• large colander, sieve, bowl with holes or similar
• hand blender
• several medium and small storage containers

Sprouting

Sprouting takes at least 3 days. It changes the compounds and flavour profile, taking the edge of the taste and adding to fluffiness (they say).

Sprouted chickpeas can be consumed raw, but if you both sprout and cook, you maximise softness, taste, and nutrient availability (because both processes counteract enzyme inhibitors and food phytates).

Put all the chickpeas in the container, cover with water, and let them soak (2 hours minimum, overnight is ok). Discard the soakwater and rinse well in the large colander with water at room temp. Put the colander somewhere to let them sprout. Keep the seeds moist by rinsing 2-3 times a day, depending on the humidity and temperature of where you live; whenever they feel dry, wet them.

• Shake the seeds every time to change which are on top, so that all may get some time in the light.
• If you have flies or other pests, protect your seeds in a way that still allows airflow and light (e.g. glass bown with dishcloth covering).

Cooking

• Rinse the sprouted seeds well.
• Thank the chickpeas for sprouting just for your consumption.
• Cover them in salted water in a pot, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the fire and let it simmer for ~45min, until soft.
• Drain away the water.

❧ The nutritive chickpea cookwater is called aquafaba; it thickens like egg whites, and can be used as a substitute in non-vegan recipes. Use 45ml instead of a medium egg, or 30ml for medium egg white. This works even better with the water in canned chickpeas. Won’t work for structural eggs like in angel food.

Blending

• Peel and chop the garlic and anything else big-ish.
• Put all ingredients in a container.
• Blend with a hand blender until approximately uniform.

Preserving

• Put some of the fresh hummus in a medium-size container and keep this one in the fridge for immediate use. Lasts for 4-7 days (more garlic, lemon, or salt content should make it last longer; maybe a ground clover?)
• Put more in cute containers, call your girlfriends, and gift them hummus still fresh from the fridge.
• Put the rest of it in small containers and freeze. Lasts for four months. To consume, move it to the fridge the day before; it tastes about as good as the fresh one, with just a bit of loss of texture.

Notes

• If you really like a strong taste of garlic, it's ok to use this to get rid of your old, sprouted garlic (double-sprouted hummus!).
• Garlic may get blue when it touches the lemon; this is harmless.
• For a more complex garlic flavour: oven-roast the cloves in olive oil, remove the skin after roasting, then chop and blend.

Can you plant the sprouted chickpeas?

Yes!!