One of my favorite things about making hummus is that it’s really hard to get wrong. Here are the basic ingredients, but don’t be afraid to use your imagination. Try adding new flavors—a spoon of pesto, a roasted bell pepper, a pinch of cumin. Have fun with it! After all, it’s hummus à la YOU!

Ingredients (makes 1 1/2 cups)

1 400g can of chickpeas, drained*

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons of tahini

A pinch of salt Water, as needed

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

(Ask a grown-up to help you!)

• Place the chickpeas, garlic, tahini and salt in a food processor.

• Start mixing and add water to loosen the paste.

• Once the mixture looks as smooth as you like it, add the lemon juice and mix.

Taste your hummus and make any changes you like. Scoop it into a bowl, and dress it with parsley, pine nuts, a pinch of sumac, cumin or anything else. And don’t forget the olive oil! Sahtein!

* For dried chickpeas, soak ½ cup of chickpeas overnight in water with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. The next day, drain the chickpeas and place them in a saucepan with another 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, turn down the heat and let the chickpeas simmer for about 45 minutes or until they’re soft. Be sure to have a grown-up test them—they will be hot!

From Sundays Are for Feasts, by Leila Boukarim and illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa. Published February 2, 2025 by Groundwood Books.

*

Learn more about Sundays Are for Feasts: 

Every summer, Yasmine visits her family in Lebanon, and every Sunday, the whole family comes over for lunch. This summer Sunday, Yasmine is making the hummus!

But hummus is harder to make than she expects, and Yasmine has all sorts of questions: How much garlic should she add? Is it lemon juice or vinegar? And where does the sesame flavor come from? With a little help from Baba, Yasmine mixes in a bit of this, and a bit of that … and hummus à la Yasmine is ready! But when grumpy Ammo Farouk arrives with the rest of the family, Yasmine worries—will he hate it? What if her hummus doesn’t taste like the real thing?

Sundays Are for Feasts is a celebration of how meals can bring family together, and the importance of making your own traditions. Includes an author’s note, glossary of Arabic terms used in the story and a recipe for hummus!