Followers of the blog know my obsession with using miso as a flavor enhancer, mainly for the umami, as well as the probiotic health benefits. [Skip straight to recipe]

This recipe uses raw Miso, to maintain the probiotics, and pairs it with Chickpeas, for their strong prebiotic effects, as well as Tahini, ground sesame seeds rich in the antioxidant sesamol.

Probiotics are helpful in maintaining our gut microflora, and adding pre-biotics (fiber and stuff) helps to encourage healthy gut microflora. This might also have a benefit in helping with maintaining good mental health, and reducing allergies and helping digestion (i.e. reducing gas).

Miso

Soybean Miso is a salty fermented soybean paste that has a rich umami flavor. It originated from China (likely over 3000 years ago along with soy sauce), but western usage has been popularized through Japanese varieties. Raw / Unpasteurized / unheated miso is natural source of probiotics. These probiotics tend to die at 40°C / 104°F, so using miso in cold food ensures that you are ingesting these probiotics. Mixing these probiotics in chickpeas further helps them grow. White miso will have a lighter flavor than red miso. Alternatively, try miso made from chickpeas for those with allergies. Miso should be sold unpasteurized.

Amazon Links to the good stuff.,
-South River, Organic Chick Pea 1 Year Aged Miso, 1 Lb
-Ohsawa Yamaki Organic unpasteurized 2-Year Barley Miso - Macrobiotic, Vegan and Kosher - 1 Lb
-Maruya Hatcho miso organic red Hatcho miso 500g
-Miso Tasty Organic Shiro White Miso Cooking Paste
-Hikari Organic Miso Paste, White,
-Hikari Organic Miso Paste, Red

-Maruman Organic White Miso

Chickpeas

Chickpeas / garbanzo bean may have been one of the first cultivated legumes, with 7,500 year old remains being found in Turkey. It's an important food crop for most of the world, and many traditional cuisines have recipes incorporating it.

Recently, the compound ciceritol was found in chickpeas, a "potential prebiotics by optimizing the microflora of human colon and promoting the production of SCFAs, which will benefit to human health"

Cooked chickpeas are also rich in fiber (7% fiber) and protein (8%). Pregnant women will find that this is a good source of folate. Chickpea flour has been found to be a good medium for the lacto-bacteria in vegan yogurt, and we use this property when pairing it with miso.

Amazon Links to the good stuff.,
- Dried Organic Garbanzo Beans / Chickpeas by by Food to Live (Non-GMO, Kosher, Raw, Sproutable, Bulk)
- Canned Westbrae Natural Organic Garbanzo Beans, No Salt Added, 15 Oz (Pack of 12)
-Canned Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans, No Salt Added, 15-Ounce (Pack of 12)

Tahini

Tahini, or ground sesame paste is made from sesame seeds, first mentioned in the middle east 4000 years ago. It's a good source for many micronutrients, and contains a bunch of cleverly named compounds named sesamin, sesamol, sesamolin, and sesaminol, and is an anti-oxidant. A recent study found that sesaminol (present mainly in sesame hulls) may prevent Parkinson's. Unhulled tahini may taste a little bitter and be less creamy than the hulled stuff, but older folks should consider it as a healthy alternative.

Amazon Links to the good stuff.,
- aSerious Tahini 5X Grounded Organic Single Origin White Sesame Paste 250g Roasted Unhulled Unsalted - Sugar Free & Sodium Free Food

- Total Sesame - Organic Sesame Tahini - (Ground Sesame Seeds) Made with Whole, Unhulled sesame seeds

Olive Oil (Optional)

Olive oil, one of the healthiest oils out there should be a no-brainer. Mainly a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, good olive oil has a compound called oleocanthal which is anti-inflammatory / anti-oxidations effects, and may also reduce chances of stroke and cancer. For hummus, use an Extra Virgin Olive oil, ideally as fresh as possible. One easy to way to test your olive oil is to take a small sip of it, and see if it has an irritating effect on the back of your throat. Oleocanthal is known to irritate a taste receptor on the back of our throats

Amazon Links to the good stuff.,
-California Olive Ranch Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 16.9 Fl Oz
-Tenuta di Capezzana Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2020
-Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil 100% California Select, First Cold Pressed, Non-GMO
-Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bonus "Healthy" Ingredient: Turmeric (very optional) & Black Pepper

Turmeric has a fat soluble compound called Curcumin that has been shown to have some anti-inflammatory / anti-oxidant properties. Most studies have been done with >1g of curcumin, and most Turmeric is only 3% curcumin - meaning you need 30g of turmric for a dose. Peperin in black pepper is also very helpful in assisting your body to absorb the curcumin. However, by adding some of it to side dishes we can add a little to our daily diet.

Recipe Notes

Canned Chickpeas are used in this recipe for convenience. To use the significantly cheaper dried chickpeas, soak them in a lot of water for 12 hours, and boil them for 3 hours (or slowcooker for 4hrs or pressure cooker for 1hr), with a little baking soda.

Chickpeas can be cooked in bulk, and frozen, to be used when necessary. Cooked frozen peas are a great way to bulk any stews or soups you are making. Adding a little baking soda during the cooking process seems affect how gassy this hummus makes me (in a positive way - meaning I'm LESS gassy. Skip this if you enjoy musical foods that make you toot). I found that after boiling them with baking soda, the shells don't affect the texture much.

Roughly - 1/2 cup dried = 3.5 oz / 100g dried = 1 cup boiled = 8.5 oz / 240 g boiled.

I found that boiling my canned chickpeas for ~20min with a little baking soda seems to lead to a much smoother consistency in my hummus. I also feel that it makes me less gassy, although this is purely anecdotal (I can't find the science to back this up).

I also don't find shelling the chickpeas makes much of a difference. I think chickpea skins add some additional fiber to the dish, and may have some other nutritional benefits (has anybody seen a nutritional breakdown of chickpea skins)?

Raw Garlic was originally used, but after many complaints by my food testers (the wife), I now use cooked garlic. Either bake it for 5min or until it's softened (but not black), or microwave it for 10seconds. As with all dishes where garlic is an important component, we remove the stem/germ from older garlic. This is less important with younger garlic, as the stem has less bitter/ pungent flavors. Feel free to double or triple my garlic amounts if you like garlic / have a fear of vampires.

Tahini is used liberally. This helps the flavor and texture of the hummus, but adds a lot of oil and calories. Cut down on this to half or even a third if this is a concern, and blend the hummus a little longer with a little cold water drizzled in. You can sub "pure" peanut butter (peanuts without added ingredients) if you don't have tahini.

A little cold water helps with the fluffiness of the hummus. How much you use will depend on how well you drain the chickpeas after cooking.

Apart from the basic ingredients - Chickpeas, Tahini, Miso, Garlic, Lemon Juice, other ingredients are optional. As with all my recipes, optional ingredients and known effects will be listed. Olive oil is an optional ingredient, and can also be substituted with toasted sesame oil for a different flavor.

I'm using a yellow miso with 4,700mg of sodium per 100g. I'm using the equivalent of 0.8% salinity for the hummus. Change the measurements on the YELLOW cells in the recipe to customize it to your taste

OPTIONAL PREP

a) Drain and empty the can of chickpeas into a pot with plenty of boiling water. Add the baking soda and simmer it for 20min or so. It will bubble, so use a large pot so it doesn't boil over.

b) Destem and microwave (10s) / bake (5min) a clove or three of garlic.

BLENDING (Stick to this sequence, blending for ~1min every step)

1) Blend the garlic with lemon juice.

2) Add the tahini and blend for a minute. Add some olive oil or water if your tahini is extra thick.

3) Add the cooled chickpeas, and blend, drizzling in your olive oil while it blends.

4) Add 2/3 of your miso and spices, blend, taste, and then add the rest as necessary. Ensure that the chickpeas are under 40°C / 104°F before you add the miso.

5) Drizzle in some cold water if it's not fluffy enough.