Houmous with lemon grass and almonds
This recipe was born because of a disappointment.
I am fascinated with gourmet food stores, with all their shelves full of jars, bottles, boxes, with different shapes and colors. They are lined up like books in a bookshop and make me go crazy. Just as if I was looking for a good novel, I take my time, looking at all the jars, bottles and boxes. I recognize some of them, others are unknown to me. I rarely leave without one or two articles. The “must” is when I know the shop owner who can help me choose and even better, talks about the producers who hide behind those jars.
My choice often goes to products which are unusual and that I really want to taste. Most of the time they’re very good surprises and I talk about them on this blog to share my discoveries.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a chickpea puree sold in a famous gourmet food store... I won’t give the name, as I feel more comfortable talking about things I like than things I don’t like.
The jar looked very sober and the list of ingredients rather sexy (chick-pea, almonds, lemon grass, etc.). I was delighted while opening it to taste but I was very disappointed: too liquid, too acid and not very tasty for a preparation with chickpeas. My tasting companions had the same opinion.
I was even more disappointed because the ingredients sounded so promising. Rather than go on complaining (which I do very well), I decided to make my own version, hoping to get the result I was expecting when I bought the jar.
Next time someone asks me how I find my ideas, I must absolutely remember to tell them about this story.
Houmous with lemon grass and almonds
Ingredients for 2 jars of 20 cl
1 jar cooked chick-peas, drained (200g drained)
The juice and the zest of a lime
2 tbsp almond puree (can be found in organic stores)
¼ of garlic clove
1 tbsp chopped lemon grass (from the most tender part)
7 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp water
2 pinches of salt
Put the chickpeas in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, after the water starts to boil again.
In a mortar, crush the garlic and lemon grass with the salt.
Drain the chick peas and pour them into a food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until you have a creamy mixture.
Taste and add some more seasoning if needed.
Put in a jar and keep in the fridge for several days.
We really enjoyed this non-traditional houmous with no tahiné (sesame purée). Hope you like it too.
Comments