SWEET POTATO “HUMMUS”

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My fingers are firmly crossed that there is no such thing as the Hummus Protection Squad, or I’d be in serious trouble. You can call it a “dip” if it makes you feel better, it’s fine with me.  I adapted the recipe from several different sources, but the little detail I loved the most was using the microwave to cook the sweet potato. The flavor was still quite intense and the prep time substantially faster when compared to roasting, steaming, or boiling. Since America Test Kitchen recommended this method in several of their dips, I knew it would work. Those guys work hard to control all variables in their culinary experiments.

SWEET POTATO “HUMMUS”
(inspired by several sources)

1 pound sweet potatoes (two, medium-large)
¾ cup water
¼ cup tahini
1 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork.  Place them over a paper towel in the microwave and cook until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the potatoes to cool down until you can handle them safely. Slice them in half, scoop the cooked flesh, discard the skins.

Place the cooked potato in the bowl of a food processor. Add the water, tahini, olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, all the spices, and process until completely smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

For best flavor, allow the hummus to sit at room temperature for half an hour or several hours in the fridge, bringing to room temperature before serving.  Drizzle with olive oil and toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: First of all, don’t twist your nose at the microwave step. It works not only for sweet potatoes, but – ready for this? – eggplant! If you like to make baba ganush and until now have roasted the eggplant, give the microwave a chance. I intend to blog about it sometime, but it might take a while. I first saw it in an old book by Barbara Kafka, The Microwave Gourmet. Her words: the eggplant cooked in the microwave retains a beautiful green color, rather than taking on the dull brown of roasted eggplant. Mind blowing, don’t you think? Anyway, I hope I convinced you to try it.

I did not expect to like this departure on my favorite classic as much as I did. The texture won me over, big time, it is very creamy. The tahini takes it into hummus territory with the help of all the spices, but has a slightly sweeter and less sharp taste. I cannot quite comprehend that some people would not like the original version, but if you find yourself faced with entertaining these rare individuals, consider making this variation. It will be a hit.  As to what to enjoy it with, we have always been partial to Ak-Mak crackers, but the other day Phil brought home a box of Dr Kracker snackers and I have one word for you: dangerous. Actually, here is another: addictive. They are dangerously addictive. So so good! He found it at Marshalls, but here is a link to amazon, so you can see what I’m talking about. He bought two kinds, one with cheese and one with a mixture of seeds. I cannot decide which one I loved the most.  Even plain they are fantastic. You’ve been warned.

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22 thoughts on “SWEET POTATO “HUMMUS””

  1. Nice!!!! Great flavours, I’ve made pretty much the same concoction, yesterday in fact, so I know only too well how good the taste is! I often mash it all together by hand and keep the texture rustic 😉
    I use the microwave to cook sweet potatoes a lot, and aubergines, especially when I eat them in place of baked potatoes, it works perfectly..

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  2. A note about sweet potatoes here. A couple of years ago the Food Lab section of “Serious Eats” ran a few articles on these puppies (mmmm…puppies….) explaining how holding them in a specific temperature range for a sustained period of time will convert –

    You know what? I’m just gonna cut-n-paste the relevant section here:

    “As Harold McGee says in ‘On Food and Cooking’:

    Moist sweet potato varieties sweeten during cooking thanks to the action of an enzyme that attacks starch and breaks it down. The enzyme starts to make maltose when the tightly packed starch granules absorb moisture and expand, beginning at around 135°F, and it stops when the rising heat denatures it, at around 170°F.

    You see where we’re going here? By holding a sweet potato in that, ahem, sweet spot between 135 and 170°F (57 and 77°C) for an extended period of time, you can actually induce it to naturally convert its starches into sugars….”

    (from: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/11/the-best-mashed-sweet-potatoes-recipe.html )

    I’ve tried this and it works very well. The sweetness level is definitely upped, which means less adulterating sugars of other types are needed (I do like the addition of maple syrup when making them into a puree, however).

    If prep time is a real consideration for you, this is not gonna be your go-to method. But if I know I’ll be making sweet potatoes into something other than fries for dinner, I’ll place them in a hot water bath in the morning and just let them sit. Once I start dinner later, I just pull them out and the prep time is the same as any other recipe.

    Of course, for your hummus recipe here (which looks brilliant!) this might make things TOO sweet. But I thought I’d mention it in case you ever decide to try making a sweet potato concoction where additional natural sugars might be more appropriate.

    Oh, and….I gotta give a thumbs down to the microwaved eggplant for baba ganush. Yeah, it makes for a nice cheery color. But you don’t eat color. There is just no comparison to that dip made with an eggplant that’s been charred – either on a grill, over an open fire, or even under the broiler – until the skin chars and imparts a deep, even smokey flavor. I guess it you have a penchant for blandness the microwave version is fine, but otherwise….

    😉

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    • Love this idea for sweet potatoes, and my sous-vide will go to work real soon – I actually remember seeing this article on Serious eats, but of course forgot all about it. This will be a culinary project very soon, stay tuned. Well, it might take a while to show up on the blog, I have a huge backup of stuff to post… (story of my life)

      yes, you raised valid points on the eggplant – I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with eggplant, and whenever I roast it I detect a bit of unpleasant sharpness, which the microwave prevents – but I can definitely see how a little char would be welcome

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      • I know what you mean about the sharpness, or – to me – bitterness. Having grown up with a Sicilian contingent in the family, eggplant was very much a staple. I learned early on the trick up salting slices for a half an hour to an hour to draw out bitter liquids, which helps considerably. (Desiccating them that way also makes them a better candidate for saute and fry dishes, since they don’t throw as much water and will brown instead of stew.) Charring helps further in dishes like this. Frankly though, unless I’m making dishes that require larger cuts, like parmigiana and such, I pretty much use Japanese eggplants now. No pre-cook chemistry needed, as they’re naturally milder. Plus they’re denser and have fewer seeds. A lot easier to cook with.

        You? A backlog of stuff to post?? I’m glad I was sitting down when I read that….

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        • knowing you, I suspect I said something borderline iffy. I am clueless. Oh, well…

          Japanese eggplants are great, I should definitely bring them to the kitchen more often – now, of course, hubby is not too fond of eggplants in any shape or form.

          but he is a keeper, so I compromise!

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  3. I love this. Dips are such happy things to devour.

    Now, there IS a Hummus Protection Squad….. but they are too busy at “Chickpea polishing camp” at this time of year to know……. x

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