FOOD AND TRAVEL

Monday, February 28, 2011

Fatteh Hummus - Its not just a dip its a meal!


As a newly wed, coming back to Kuwait after spending quite a few years in India, was a weird feeling to say the least. One might say, it should be a good feeling, Kuwait is after all were I was born and bought up. But the life back in India got the better of me.


The non stop bustling on the streets, the culture, the people and vibe of the country, I didn't want to live it behind. Compared to India, Kuwait is a very quiet place.I feared how my old friends in Kuwait moved on to doing better things in life. How I would spend the whole day at home, while M - the husband  would be off to work. Just to many questions at the time.


But there were a few things that almost helped me take the final decision to move here. Food is one of them. Or well if you know me, food was the major reason. You see most of my time in India, I spend my time in a smallish town in Rajasthan. Where I ate nothing but mom's home cooked meals and often time the Indian street food. I deeply missed the fine dining, the bistro cafe's, the fast food (yes, back then it made sense) and most importantly I missed hummus. When I got back here, newly wed, first time entering the kitchen, one of the first things I wanted to learn was to make hummus. I never wanted to be without it ever again.


Fatteh is the Arabic term used for a dish that uses pieces of stale bread as the foundation of the dish. Hummus as you know refers to chickpeas. A fatteh dish has countless variations, with each country having there own version. Instead of chickpeas if you use chicken its called chicken fatteh, with lamb its called lamb fatteh and so on. 


I like to serve it more as meal with some warm pita bread than a dip but it certainly can be used as a dip. Sometimes I top it with leftover roasted chicken or meat.  Here I have divided the recipe in such a way that the first half will give you the basic humus recipe and then on making it a fatteh.

Fatteh Hummus
Click here for printable recipe 
Serves : 2 
Ingredients 

For hummus
1 can chickpeas *
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp tahini paste **
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp water
1 green chilly (optional)
Salt to taste

For Fatteh
1 khubz / pita bread   (I used whole wheat) ***
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup parsley (finely chopped)
1/8 cup sliced almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
Note

* If using fresh boiled chickpeas retain some of the boiling water and replace the water in the recipe with this boiled water.

** No, if you don't have tahini or not making your own, you are not eating hummus. You just eating pureed chickpeas. You should, must, have to have tahini paste. Tahini refers to white sesame seeds which are made into a paste. It should be easy available in Middle Eastern stores. 

*** Khubz is local flat bread similar to pita bread. Most of the Middle Eastern countries have a version of this flat bread but the general term used in rest of the world is pita.Use a pita bread with pocket for this.

Method

Get your food processor out. I have a hate and love relationship with mine but today it behaved. Add in  lemon juice, garlic, cumin, water, tahini, green chilly and salt.


This is your base tahini sauce.


Add the chickpeas (retain about 2 tbsp whole to add back later). Pulse and in the process also drizzle in the olive oil. Add a tbsp or more of water if desired. This is hummus. Taste, say yum and come back, things get better from here.


Preheat the oven to 160 C and dry out the khubz till its nice and crisp. Make sure you tear the pocket and  get  two sheets of khubz before you get it in the oven. Takes about 15 minutes. This may differ  according to thickness and staleness of the khubz.


Meanwhile, mix in the yogurt, whole chickpeas and parsley into the hummus.


Once the khubz is done, break in to small pieces and mix with the above.


Lightly warm the olive oil and tip in the sliced almonds. Let it warm up for about a minute and take the oil off the stove.


Drizzle it on the fatteh hummus. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with fresh khubz or falafel (that requires another post).
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51 comments

  1. I could totally make a meal out of this. I love how you add some whole chickpeas and yogurt to the hummus to finish it off.

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  2. I agree with you and Sylvie, this would make a most excellent lunch or dinner... paired with a glass of white wine or a nice cold beer. What a unique variation... thank you SO much for sharing.

    And, you're absolutely right... if you're not using tahini, it's not hummus... but i guess some folks disagree with that ;-)

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  3. oh this recipe is new to me! I love hummus, and will try this version out for sure!!

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  4. This is our favourite dips, your presentation looks very nice. I love your picture.

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  5. Yep, I would take that as a meal any day! It looks delicious!

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  6. Wonderful version and I love your photo! I love fatteh too and made it quite often this last summer, with hummus, eggplant, and chicken!

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  7. This looks amazing, I've had and relished fattoush and hummus seperately, and this kind of looks like an enviable combo of them both! I kind of have a love-hate relationship with tahini though, so maybe I should attempt making it from scratch instead of using store-bought.

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  8. That really is a meal for me, infact hummus n pita bread was my lunch yesterday!
    Girl, I HAVE to say this, ur photography has improved manifolds!! Good Job sweety :-)

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  9. Thank you Brian. I can - with strange confidence say that hummus without tahini is not a right thing. But then I can't claim to be a purist...

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  10. Thank you :-) I love the one with eggplant myself - oh yum!

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  11. Thank you Prerna. So r just so SWEET! Love :-)

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  12. PremalathaAravindhanMarch 1, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    Healthy and Delicious Hummus...luks so inviting...

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  13. I think I'm the only person who doesn't order hummus at a Lebanese restaurant and the waiters look at me all funny! Lovely pictures!

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  14. Marla {family fresh cooking}March 1, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    This post is gorgeous! I just want to dive into tall that creamy greatness. I am happy your move proved to be happy - that is all we really want right? Great food & happiness. Love the swirl of oil in the bowl. xo

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  15. Tanvi_SinfullySpicyMarch 1, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    I totally agree with you on this Kulsumm,moving to a new country is full of inhibitions but food wise,its an experience.I have learnt abt so many new cuisines and ingreduents after coming to USA.Its a diff exposure altogether.
    I share a love hate relation with mediterranean food but dips are one of my favorites-hummus,babagaboush or yogurt-mint.I m not a sesame person so what I like is not an authentic dish:) Love the almonds on top in here and the way you presented:)

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  16. Thank you Anh - Let me know how it goes if you make it.

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  17. I love fatteh hummus...yours look wonderful and delicious!
    Awesome clicks too!!

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  18. Yeap, tahini crucial! Beautiful clicks!

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  19. I do love humus. Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to more middle eastern treats from you.

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  20. I was looking for a tasty hummus recipe for quite some time now and I believe this one is the winner :)

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  21. I have to confess I've made normal hummus and pita into meals quite a few times, but this looks even better.

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  22. Nadia I hope you try it and find it a winner. It certainly is for me :-)

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  23. A good hummus is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, where I live, I find it all too rare. I've been half heartedly searching for a good recipe. Thanks for reminding me about it again.

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  24. This looks really good! I'll have to try it. And beautiful pics!

    :)

    Alex (from A Couple Cooks)

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  25. I am having my lunch with marinated Feta and greens and all of a sudden I had this sudden craving for hummus. Thought I will have to do it soon, and lo and behold! i open your blog to see this lip smacking one!!Now I want it even more:-( exactly this way. So good! didn't know u were born in kuwait!

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  26. What a lovely recipe Kulsum! I think this looks absolutely divine...and I loved the story behind it. I too miss the bustle of India - everything else just seems TOO quiet.

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  27. I love hummus and usually spread it for my regular sandwich. Beautiful colour!

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  28. Truly delicious. Color, texture and ingredients are all fabulous.

    xx

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  29. Oh yum! I just made hummus, too! Yours looks great. I love the yogurt idea.

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  30. Love the freshness and color of the Hummus! The swirls in the Hummus tempts me to soak the chickpeas and make it soon. Good to have come here from Twitter.

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  31. I just love hummus, and I agree, tahini is essential. It adds such a delicious nuttiness!
    *kisses* HH

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  32. Your blog is culinary ecstasy! You really amaze me with your talent for cooking and photographs.

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  33. Kulsum,
    This is gorgeous! For the longest ever time I want to find out how to make hummus, the answer is here now ;)

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  34. Kulsum, you have no idea how much I adroe Hummus! I can eat it day & night! Gorgeous pics!

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  35. Oooh I so agree with you that great hummus is truly a meal. Fabulous recipe. I find it too easy to buy decent hummus here that I haven't made it in years and I used to make it all the time. Now I want good homemade! Beautiful! And I agree with you about food being a pull anywhere!

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  36. Life is just like that.....Hummus looks extremely awesome and yum...love that pictorial and real to life pics....

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  37. This is absolutely mouth-watering. I've never had fatteh but love hummus (and anything with yogurt!). And your pictures are gorgeous!

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  38. This hummus looks gorgeous! I don't mind at all to have it as a main meal.

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  39. This was a very educational post for me as I don't know how to make hummus and had no idea what fatteh was :) The crisp stale bread looks so tempting ;-) ! The Mediterranean bread you get in stores here tastes quite bad. My tummy is rumbling... your post has made me hungry!

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  40. love ur post on Hummus..its my fav!
    I have an award w8in for u on my blog(Awards Page)..plz accept it!

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  41. I love the cumin you add in it. I also add some water to my hummus- actually hot water, it makes for a great consistency. You made hummus look so beautiful!

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  42. Love the freshness and color of the Hummus! The swirls in the Hummus tempts me to soak the chickpeas and make it soon. Good to have come here from Twitter.

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  43. I was looking for a tasty hummus recipe for quite some time now and I believe this one is the winner :)

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  44. wow and perfected the hummus you have looks amazing

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  45. This looks so delicious, I wish I were having it right now. I like the way you have poured oil on the hummus.

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  46. Hi! I was looking for an authentic recipe and decided to try yours. However, while preparing the hummus I ended up experimenting and it it turned out delicious.
    Here is what I did: used more lemon juice, only 1 T olive oil and added yogurt till the consistency felt right.

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  47. Hey Dessy!

    Glad you tried the recipe. And even happier that you gave it your own touch. Hummus is very versatile can be easily adjusted as per taste. Thank you for coming back and letting me know :-)

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  48. Thanks for sharing this link today! This is a must try indeed :)

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  49. I went to a Lebanese restaurant yesterday and tried this for the first time and fell in love! I have been searching for the closest sounding recipe and this is just it. By the way, I love the name of your blog and just all of it! I'm quite adventurous myself in the kitchen... and it's a way to send me back to memories of my travels or places I hope to visit one day :)

    XO, thanks for sharing!

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