Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ever since I came across this variation of hummus I have been dying to try it. The thought of adding roasted red bell pepper brought to my mind a 'smoky - sweet' capsicum flavour and immediately I found myself craving for it :D Glad that I finally made it. Came out pretty well as expected. A very simple and easy dip that tastes best with pitta bread. You could also use it as a healthy dip for fritters or spread for making sandwiches instead of mayonnaise.

I must say that the roasting process was pretty messy - I did  it on the stove top; held each end of the capsicum with a fork and kept turning it over my burner. It took me a while to get a good part of the skin burnt! Not to mention the popping sounds that it made from time to time which initially left me a bit frazzled. But having said that, the roasted bell pepper adds such a nice flavour to the otherwise ordinary hummus. So I would definitely not mind trying this recipe again :)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: Recipe
(Source: Adapted from Life Currents)

Ingredients:

• Red Bell Pepper - 1 medium
• Garlic - 1 large clove crushed
• Cooked Chickpeas - 1 can (about 260 gm)
• Tahina paste - 2 to 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Lemon juice - about half a lemon
• Olive oil - a generous drizzle
• Red Chili Powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp as per your taste
• Red Chili flakes to garnish

Method:

1. Roast the red bell pepper - you can either grill it or roast it on the stove top . Once most of the skin has blackened, place it in a deep bowl and cover with cellophane wrap or a lid so that it will sweat in its own heat. After 15 - 20 mins, peel off the burnt skin (you can dip it in water to remove the tiny bits) with your hands and chop it roughly into small pieces.
2. In a heavy duty blender / grinder, add the chopped roasted red bell pepper and all the other ingredients (except red chili flakes) and blend into a smooth paste. If it is too thick add few  teaspoons of water.
3. Do a taste test and modify with added salt, tahina, lemon or red chilli powder to suit your taste. If you like it more garlicky, you can use more garlic as well.
4. Serve it as a dip with freshly toasted pitta bread and green salad.