spice your rice series ~ 3: Riz bi Hummous or Rice with Chickpeas

Hummous, also known as chickpeas or garbanzo beans, is another one of my favorite cooking staples. There is always either a can of it in my pantry or bagfuls in the freezer just asking to be eaten.

While the common misunderstanding in the US is that hummous is synomemous with dip, the word really refers to the actual legume. As versatile as eggplant, hummous can be eaten by itself, dressed with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil; mashed into hummous bi tahini, the dip everyone knows, with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil; added to salads, main dishes as in Maghmour, or rice such as this one.

Once you have the hummous ready, either boiled through if using dried and thawed out if frozen, or drained and rinsed if using canned, riz bi hummous is really a one pot dish and can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes. All you need is a medium sized yellow onion, chopped; chicken broth, home-made or store bought; white rice; and the beans. Sautee the onions until tender, add the hummous, rice and broth. Season with salt and cumin, which is the key secret ingredient in this dish, and simmer until rice is cooked through. You can add cooked chicken legs or breasts to the final dish, and serve it with my go to plain whole milk yogurt.

For a family of four, you need:

• 1 cup of rice;
• 1 can garbanzo beans, or about 14 ounces;
• 1 medium sized yellow onion;
• 2 cups chicken broth;
• 1 tablespoon olive oil;
• salt and cumin, to taste.