#Ratings: Homemade Hummus Flavours

Ghost Pepper

I had heard of these little buggers, sure, but never tried one until a coworker came in one morning with a handful of the dried chills, trying like mad to get rid of them. His son had ordered a dozen from somewhere online after convincing his father he could eat one whole. Shortly after stomaching one my coworker said his son leaked "from all holes" and stayed close to the bathroom the rest of the weekend. So did I want one? Sure! And it really wasn’t that bad. Unsure what I was getting into necessitated gloves and a sharp knife to pick out seeds and membranes. With those removed, the rest of the chili went straight into the food processor. Was it hot? Not at first. There was more of a slow-burning aftertaste, the kind you feel on the back of your throat when you least expect it. In subsequent batches, I've included a few seeds here or there to heighten the experience - but nothing holy. (A-)

Miso

Standard store-bought miso paste added to the traditional ingredients, with what most people would refer to as green onions, but what were really scallions, thrown in, too. This was surprisingly refreshing. I've made it twice now, the second time with the green onions (or scallions) simply served on top as a garnish. I'd prefer that route when I go a third time. (B+)

Banana

I don't know what we were thinking here but the addition of bananas to the traditional ingredients did not go over well. I tried chalking this one up as a "dessert hummus" but no one bought it. No one took it when I gave it away, either. I recall thinking chickpeas were necessary to thicken the mess but realized by the third or fourth bite, no, they were not. It's one I've wanted to attempt again but not any time soon. (D)

Sriracha

It works but I tried to be too artsy-fartsy and swirl in the sriracha when it was served. Maybe I thought I could give it the appearance of marbling, Yeah, that won't work here. In the end it was exactly what I thought it would be: hummus with sriracha. Nothing more, nothing less. (C+)

Pistachio

I have found the consistency of nuts to be troublesome when substituting for chickpeas. Too many nuts and you wind up with this thick, chunky paste that you can try to thin with water. Then the soggy, chunky paste tastes water logged until you add seasoning. Finally, the spicy, gritty, moist concoction is dumped into a container where it hardens. Attempting to chisel off a piece later is rather pointless. And so is trying this recipe again anytime soon. (D)

Red Lentils

I feel I should like red lentils. I feel they should have made a great hummus. They didn't. The chief reason was the taste. After soaking and cooking, I added the traditional lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and tahini and wound up with musty-tasting hummus. Yes, the lentils were a few months hold but were stored properly. I keep thinking it's just the waste red lentils taste. Yet I've had them in other things and they certainly didn't taste stale then. This is another one I've wanted to attempt but I'm afraid red lentils will wind up making me cross. (D+)