Didn’t give this much thought?!? Consider the difference in shape between canned beans and home boiled beans.. The canned ones retain their shape while the home cooked beans brake/peal. Then you have to consider the size. The canned beans usually come from high yield “enhanced” agriculture and therefore are twice the size. Cooked at home, these would require much longer boil time than the regular raw beans bought from a store. The production line required for soak and boiling would also be more complex than the one required for enzyme treatment.

Industrial enzymes are used in everything these days, but the subject is not easy to research since there’s not much info available (proprietary considerations, lack of interest, etc). So it’s nearly impossible to determine how safe they are for frequent human consumption (especially for those with health issues). But given that this is a cost saving measure to begin with, you have to wonder how much thought is given to it…

Generally, I make a mixed bean hummus every other week with a base of white tahini -packed in glass, plus a base of chickpeas, usually 2 cans, & then an assortment based on bean colors, of 2 or 3 other varieties of beans. I clean the tops of the cans, open them with a clean blade electric can opener & unceremoniously dump them into a 5qt collander with small holes. Not a plastic one!

Once I have all of the color of beans that I am using, I wash my hands first & then I rinse & sort through the beans to make sure than no rocks have joined us & that the beans are pretty much free of all the gunk that accumulates in the can during processing.

This drops the unnatural salt/sodium content of the canned beans down to the point that sometimes I will need to add a scant 1/4 teaspoon of Adobo dry seasoning to my essentially 60oz of base color beans.

My tools for hummas include a tall container with a reasonably tight fitting lid, in the 64 oz size, & easy to convey in or out of the refrigerator with care. I also add a rubber band to the outside of the closed container in case of fumble. If I’m super worried about mishaps, I will occasionally resort to alternate more secure containers within a container.

You will need an immersion or stick blender for this recipe, & a no skid bottle opener, to anchor the mixing container to the counter for added support. The immersion blender allows you to stir & change angles as you pump the stick blender up & down until the mixture resembles chunky velvet. Your hummus should be slightly watery the first day, but once it has rested at least overnight covered, it will continue to thicken.

Once I have fully rinsed & shaken the bans dry, I assemble all of my other ingredients so that there is no rushing around once the stick blender is deployed.

I add the rinsed slightly dried canned bean assortment into the bottom of the mixing container & add all of the ingredients on top of them. You can certainly add other ingredients, like spicy Japanese seaweed & salt/hot pepper combinations but do that the 2nd time.

So I add to the beans to their 3oz each; of Zhataar, Dry Cimmi churri mix, finely chopped raw garlic preserved in olive oil, 1/2 Cup of White Tahini Sauce plain (my go to’ sources are Nuts.com or Amazon for everything but the Zhataar. That I buy in bulk lke my dry cimmi churri mix).

I add 1 full cup of lemon juice, or a blend of lemon & lime juice,
2 Tablespoons each; of parsley, sweet or smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of fresh or dry lemon or lime zest & 3oz of sesame seeds, preferably white whole ones, plus 3oz of extra virgin olive oil, the darkest Greek or Cyprioti one that you can find, though- Pompeiian will do in a pinch.

I then take the stick blender, anchor the container with its no skid footing & grip the on button to start stirring & moving the cyclone part up & down, side to side methodically around the bowl.

I blend it to the consistency of slightly chunky watery ketchup. This will thicken as it ages in the fridge. Here is when I use a straw to taste & adjust salt or paprika or chimmi churri, sometimes adding some lemon or lime juice for a lemony top note.

I unplug the stick blender & clean it completely, allowing the hummus a rest before covering the top with traditional sprinkles of paprika, parsely & sesame seeds in a center pattern the size of a quarter, which can be stirred into the hummus the next day with a splash each of olive oil & more lemon juice to loosen the now thickened dip.

I keep “baby” carrots, cucumbers to slice & dip, plus cut up naan breads, injeera or lentil flatbreads for this purpose, my go to is Hint of Lime tortilla chips, if not Naan. I find that most commercial pita breads are too hard or tough these days.

Hummus will keep, covered & refrigerated, in between raids, for up to 3 weeks.

Eat in good health. Don’t forget to rotate the types & colors of your beans, always starting with 1 or 2 cans of chickpeas for creaminess.

The Herbalist