As you may know I am a Hummus fan, and this Pumpkin Hummus is the latest in my series of Hummus recipes. Slightly sweet from the pumpkin and nutty from the chickpeas, this vegan, gluten-free dish is great as a spread or as a dip.
Soak 1/4 cup dried chickpeas (50 gms) in 1 cup of water for at least 6 hours.
Drain all the water and add 1/2 cup water.
Pressure cook for 3 or 4 whistles. The chickpeas should be cooked but firm.
Drain the water from the chickpeas and set aside.
Roasting the Pumpkin (See Notes)
Switch the oven to the roasting mode and preheat it to 150C.
Lightly grease a baking tray with some Olive Oil.
Peel, deseed and dice pumpkin into 1" pieces.
Place the pumpkin pieces on the baking tray.
Roast the pumpkin pieces for 10 to 12 minutes till they start to brown a bit.
Take the tray out of the oven and let the pumpkin cool.
Roasting the Cumin Seeds
Over low heat, dry roast 1/2 tsp cumin seeds till they start to change colour and become aromatic.
Making the Pumpkin Hummus
Grind 2 tsp sesame and 1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds to a fine powder.
Add 2 big cloves of garlic, 2 tsp olive oil, 3 tsp lemon juice, and some salt.
Grind till it forms a thick paste.
Add the roasted pumpkin pieces, 2 tbsp ice-cold water, and grind to a smooth paste.
Add the cooked chickpeas, 2 tbsp ice-cold water and grind to a coarse paste.
Add 2 tsp olive oil and some ice-cold water, and grind again till you get a creamy paste.Note: Add as much ice-cold water as needed. I needed about 2 tbsp.
Transfer the Pumpkin Hummus into a bowl and drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil on the surface.
{Optional} Sprinkle a pinch of paprika or chilli powder, and garnish with a few pumpkin seeds.
Notes
I roast the pumpkin pieces as the chickpeas are cooking.
Instead of roasted pumpkin, you can use steamed pumpkin. If you are using steamed pumpkin, you may need just a bit less pumpkin (about 75 gms) and you should use less water when grinding the ingredients.