Hummus is always a good idea, and you can't argue with the versatility. I can’t ever decide which is my favourite, but today it’s spicy red chilli.

As you may know, I try to eat as healthily as I can, but I enjoy food and like to feel satisfied. I think it's this very thing that makes me love hummus so much as it's meaty (not actually in a meat sense), filling and with an air of indulgence about it. Perhaps it's the texture, I don't know, but it's good and a joy to make.

As flavours go, I like, if not love, all I've tried so far, dill is one of my standouts and featured in a previous post. I'd describe this one as, pretty classic and if we were to rate hummus flavouring by its mass appeal I'm pretty sure this would be right up there

chickpeas, red onion, red chilli and dried mixed herbs for hummus

Spicy Red Chilli Hummus

PREP TIME - 5 MINS | DIFFICULTY RATING - EASY | SERVES - 4 | RECIPE TYPE - SIDE, LUNCH | EQUIPMENT - BLENDER

Ingredients

1 tin (400g) of chickpeas (drained)
1/2 a red chilli of your preference
2 cloves garlic
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
seasoning
water to loosen
1/4 tsp dried mixed herbs
A pinch of dried chilli for finishing (optional)

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to the blender and pulse until finely chopped.
Add the olive oil and pulse again until you reach the desired consistency. Add some water or extra oil to loosen if necessary.
Taste and season.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil and add a sprinkling of dried chilli, before serving.

My notes and tips

This is an easy dish, so there are indeed no tips as such, but I'm sure once you try making hummus you will do so over and over again, it's somewhat addictive. Like many recipes, you'll find your preferred taste and seasoning levels.

I mentioned in the instructions about seasoning, always taste and then add a little so as not to overdo it. I'd say the same for all the flavours in this recipe as each of them could be quite overpowering. For example, I love raw garlic, so I'm happy to use a few large cloves (I know, potent!). You might find one is enough or you could even roast the garlic to soften the taste, something I always do in another recipe I'm partial to - butterbean hummus (coming soon).