Houmous With Peri-peri Drizzle Recipe

Prepare chickpeas

Drain canned chickpeas into a bowl and reserve about 60 ml of the liquid. Rinse the chickpeas briefly under cold water and drain again.

Blend base

In a food processor, add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, smashed garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Pulse several times to start breaking down the chickpeas (about 20–30 seconds).

Emulsify

With the processor running, stream in the 2 tbs olive oil and 2 tbs cold water or reserved chickpea liquid. Continue processing until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides once or twice (about 1–2 minutes). If mixture is too thick, add up to 1–2 tbs more reserved liquid, 1 tbs at a time, until desired consistency.

Adjust seasoning

Taste and adjust salt, lemon, or garlic to preference. Transfer the houmous to a shallow serving bowl and smooth the top with the back of a spoon, creating a shallow well in the center for the drizzle.

Make the PERi-PERi

In a small blender or using an immersion blender, combine bird's eye chillies, smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, half clove garlic, and salt. Pulse briefly to chop.

Emulsify oil

With the blender running on low, gradually pour in the 3 tbs olive oil to emulsify into a bright, slightly thick sauce (about 20–30 seconds). Taste and adjust salt or lemon.

If you prefer milder

For a milder drizzle, remove the seeds from the chillies before blending or dilute the finished sauce with 1–2 tsp extra olive oil.

Warm the pitta

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Split or keep whole pittas and wrap in foil and warm in the oven for 5–7 minutes, or lightly toast on a skillet for 1–2 minutes per side until warm and slightly charred.

Assemble

Spoon the houmous into a serving bowl if not already, smooth the top and drizzle the PERi-PERi sauce into the well. Finish with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, a light dusting of paprika, and the chopped parsley if using.

Serve

Place warm pitta triangles alongside for dipping. Serve immediately.