2 teaspoons baking soda
Juice of 1-2 lemons (depends on size, juiciness, how much lemon you like)
4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1.5-2 tsp salt
1 cup tahini
0.5 tsp cumin powder
Iced water (chips work good for this)
Put chickpeas in a dutch oven and add cold water until they are submerged by at least 2 inches. Add 1 tsp baking soda and let them soak overnight. In the morning drain and rinse in a colander.
Return to the dutch oven and cover with fresh water until submerged by at least 4 inches. Add the second tsp of baking soda. Bring to a boil and then simmer vigorously for between 1 and 1.5 hours. They will be seriously soft at this point; this is good. Drain the water.
When the chickpeas are close to being done make the tahini sauce. In a blender combine the lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Let this sit 10 minutes then add the tahini, the remaining salt and the cumin. Blend into a thick paste.
With the blender running, add 1/3 to 2/3 cup of icy water, a little at a time until you get a smooth creamy sauce.
Add the still warm, drained chickpeas to the blender and blitz until smooth. Probably two minutes plus. Add more water if it seems to stiff. Taste, adjust salt/lemon/cumin if desired.
Serve with a dusting of paprika, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh chopped parsley.
