Caramelised Onion Hummus

Like most other veggie lovers in this dear world, I am capable of consuming hummus at a rate to surpass even your granny's incessant tirades about kids today.

Okay, I know, I know. As if the four billion alternative preparations out there aren't enough, this is just what the world needs: another hummus recipe. Variation upon variation of this chickpea paste exists, but this one contains delicious caramelised onion as an added ingredient. Make this by the truckload and share it with everyone you know; even the aforementioned grandma will be impressed.

Recipe Notes

The reason onions caramelise is because they contain some sugar. Perhaps this is a common sense fact, but for most people sugar isn't what comes to mind when they think of an onion. Try to use onion with a fairly high sugar content, like sweet onions or vidalia, but the standard yellow variety works too. If you're using a really strong onion, feel free to add a bit of sugar a few minutes into the cooking process in order to aid in caramelisation.

I always use dried chickpeas and soak them overnight, but that's not to say you can't cheat and use a can of 'em. But if you've never followed the soaking method I suggest you try it because, in my opinion anyway, it produces a superior taste. It really doesn't take much extra time (especially if you have a pressure cooker), and it's also a lot cheaper than buying tins! If you're using chickpeas from a can then you may not need to add any extra salt to the recipe (depending on whether the beans are in brine), so just be mindful of what's in the tin.