Hummus Bil Tahina

Tahina Sauce

1/2 cup warm water
1 to 2 pinches salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon caraway seeds, ground
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
7 ounces tahina paste

Hummus

1 cup chickpeas, soaked
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup Tahina Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped

For the tahina sauce:

Dissolve salt in water. Add lemon juice, white wine vinegar, caraway seeds and garlic. Add the tahina paste, stirring occasionally. Stir well until the sauce is creamy.

For the Hummus:

Drain the chickpeas, add fresh water and simmer until tender, for about 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserve 1 tablespoon for decoration and mash the rest. Add Tahina Sauce and lemon juice to chickpeas and blend into a smooth paste. Place mixture in a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with olive oil, whole chickpeas and chopped parsley.

- recipe courtesy Robert and Carolyn Black,
Trans World Travel Writers