Hummus with tahini

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in twice their volume of cold water and the bicarbonate of soda. The next day, rinse the chickpeas very thoroughly. Don’t rush this step — you should take at least 2 or 3 minutes rinsing them under cold running water. You can rub them to help remove the bicarb.
2. Place the chickpeas in a large pan with plenty of fresh water and bring it to the boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for up to 2 hours, until they have disintegrated into a porridge-like mush. Keep an eye on them during the cooking process, and top them up with extra water every 20 minutes or so.
3. Tip the chickpeas into a food processor with the lemon juice, garlic paste and tahini and whiz until the mixture is very smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning until you get the right balance of nuttiness, acid and pungent garlic. As it cools, the hummus will thicken, so thin it down with a little more lemon juice or water as needed.