Recipe: Black sesame hummus

Black sesame hummus is my kind of dip. Tasty, healthy, black. It looks scary enough for people to avoid it, so there’s always more for me. Make it for Halloween or any other day.

Black sesame seeds are widely used in Chinese medicine. Science suggests they may lower blood pressure and protect against oxidative stress (1). They may also reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels as well as protect cardiovascular, liver and kidney function, among other positive outcomes. Scientists have found at least 20 metabolites that are higher in black sesame seeds than in the white variety and might be responsible for their health benefits (2).

Hummus is also pretty healthy. In fact, it is considered a healthy staple in many circles as it’s vegan, gluten-free, high in fibre, relatively high in protein, etc. There is controversy as to where hummus hails from but I won’t go there. I do recommend listening to this Savor podcast episode if you want to know more about this tasty dip.

Black sesame hummus

Black sesame hummus is as tasty and healthy as the regular version, but black.

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Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dip

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 3 -4 servings

Equipment

• food processor or blender

Ingredients

  

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1x 400g can chickpeas
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp black tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• sea salt and black pepper

To serve

• smoked paprika
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• Optional but recommended: Wrap garlic cloves in foil and bake for 20-40 minutes at medium heat (160-170°C).
• If you decide not to roast the garlic, mince it.
• Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in a blender or food processor with 1/4 cup water and the rest of ingredients. Process until desired consistency is reached.
• Check seasoning, serve in a bowl sprinkled with smoked paprika and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crudités (fancy for raw vegetable sticks) and/or crackers.

Keyword black tahini, chickpeas, dairy free, gluten free, hummus, paleo, tahini, vegan, vegetarian

References

1. Wichitsranoi J, Weerapreeyakul N, Boonsiri P, Settasatian C, Settasatian N, Komanasin N, et al. Antihypertensive and antioxidant effects of dietary black sesame meal in pre-hypertensive humans. Nutrition Journal. 2011;10(1):82.
2. Wang D, Zhang L, Huang X, Wang X, Yang R, Mao J, et al. Identification of Nutritional Components in Black Sesame Determined by Widely Targeted Metabolomics and Traditional Chinese Medicines. Molecules. 2018;23(5).

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