Miso Hummus

I have a soft spot for chunky guacamole, chunky peanut butter, chunky mashed potatoes, and small, chunky dogs. So it’s no surprise that I was never into smooth, storebought hummus until I had the miso hummus at Uncommon Kitchen, a small and fabulous takeout restaurant in Tahoe City, CA. It was so much more substantial and interesting; I loved the complex flavor and the thicker, almost chunky texture. It was not watered down, because there is no water in it unlike many hummus recipes, meaning you get all of the vegetal bean flavor and the funky sweetness from the miso.

At the time, back when I lived in Tahoe, a container of that hummus was my ski bum splurge, a treat that was luxurious but also made me feel great. And then as a very thoughtful gift, my friend Nikki bought me a cookbook from the Uncommon Kitchen—a small, self-laminated and bound senior project of a local (genius, obviously) high school student. I tried making the hummus recipe in it once, a long time ago, but as a former recipe improviser I didn’t follow the recipe well enough and was medium-impressed by the results. I continued to purchase the hummus from their store until I moved to Washington. The cookbook got stashed somewhere with a bunch of papers, and only last year during a recent move was it uncovered again. I dusted it off with interest, since like many people during the pandemic, I got a lot better at cooking dried beans, and discovered that garbanzo beans cooked from scratch are amazing. They do not require soaking, and they cook pretty quickly if you have a good bean source. (If you have old beans, they will almost never soften no matter how long you cook them, and you will understand where the phrase “tough beans” comes from). We started buying dried garbanzos from Palouse Brand during the pandemic and our falafel, hummus, and pasta e Fagioli game improved 100 percent or more, although any good chickpeas (even canned if you’re short on time) will be great in this recipe. And the best part is if you cook a big pot of dried garbanzo beans, you will have them for a whole week of recipes. Beans freeze well too! I’ve included the directions for making the beans from scratch as it’s my preferred method, but you can substitute canned beans if you’d like—it’s actually what the original recipe calls for. :)

MISO HUMMUS

YIELD: 16 oz (two cups) hummus

(recipe adapted from Eating Wisdom, a cookbook of recipes from the Uncommon Kitchen in Tahoe City, CA)

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 c cooked garbanzo beans (from scratch, see recipe below, or from one can, drained)

2 cloves garlic (simmered unpeeled with the garbanzo beans if cooked from scratch, raw if not), peeled

3/4 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

3 T white miso

3 T tahini

pinch Piment D’Espilette, 1/4 tsp paprika, or a pinch of Aleppo pepper or chili flakes (optional but amazing)

2 T olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice (from one lemon, or from a quality jar of lemon juice with no preservatives, such as Santa Cruz Naturals)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Process beans in a food processor until they start to break down; add the rest of the ingredients and continue to process for another full minute or two, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the hummus is a light, fluffy, creamy consistency and pale in color. Adjust seasonings (I usually bump up the salt and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and/or lemon) and serve. Keep refrigerated—unused hummus will stay good for a week or so in a jar in the fridge.

GARBANZO BEANS FROM SCRATCH

Place 1 to 1.5 cups dried beans in a large, ovenproof pot with a lid (such as a dutch oven), and then add 1 T salt and fill the pot with water to within two inches of the top. I like to add a few cloves of unpeeled garlic as well, to take out of their peels after cooking and add to the hummus for a more mellow garlic flavor (see above), but this is optional. For reference, 3/4 cup of dried beans cooks up to roughly 1 3/4 cup of beans, which is the amount in one can of beans. You want them covered with plenty of water so the water doesn’t all evaporate and the beans burn. If you want to cook more than about 1.5 cups of beans, you may need to watch them closer (regardless of which method you use) to make sure the water hasn’t cooked off, adding more water as necessary.

Stovetop method: This is a bit faster and good to use if you will be around for 1.5 to 2 hours and able to occasionally tend to the cooking. Bring uncovered pot of beans to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer, uncovered. Begin checking for doneness after about 1 hour of cooking—beans may take up to two hours but should be done in around one hour. Beans are done when they are still firm and retaining their shape (they may lose a few skins), but are creamy and tender to the bite.

Oven method: This is more of a set it and forget it method. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. You can just stick the covered pot in the oven while it’s preheating and begin checking beans for doneness after 1.5 to 2 hours.