Cheat’s hummus

This isn’t really hummus, because it doesn’t have oil or tahini in it. But if you’re trying to cut down on fat intake, it’s not a bad substitute, and it is very quick and easy to make using a jar of chickpeas and a few other ingredients you’re likely to have on hand. It’s part of our campaign for healthier nibbles to eat with aperos; we have it with raw carrot sticks, but you can use other vehicles of your choice, including pitta bread of course.

Words of advice:

• Use a Spanish brand of chickpeas if you possibly can, they are just better. Jars are generally better than cans for some reason.
• Lack of tahini and oil means you have to really ramp up the spices and garlic to stop it being bland. Don’t take my quantities as gospel — taste and adjust as you like.
• This makes a lot; I hope it freezes well because that’s what I’ve done with half of it. It will keep for a few days in the fridge.

1 400g jar of chickpeas
4 tbs lemon juice (about 1 lemon), possibly more to taste
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne or pimentón picante
3-4 cloves garlic
4 tbs yoghurt (you can use low-fat if you want)
salt and pepper

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put all the ingredients in a liquidiser or food processor and whiz till smooth. Note, if all you’ve got is a stick blender you can still do it, it will just take a bit longer.

Taste and adjust seasoning. You need plenty of salt, and you may also need to add more lemon juice or garlic. Leave for a few hours for the flavours to develop. Sprinkle with a little cayenne to serve; you could even drizzle a little olive oil on top!