I grew up in the Middle East. My brother was born there, mere days before the start of the Gulf War in 1990. My parents were OFWs. For nine years we lived together in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

While we lived there, we enjoyed a lot of different food: samosas, baba ganoush, shawarma, kebabs, felafels. When we moved back to Manila in 1996, we didn’t know where to get all those yummy dishes anymore.

Eventually a lot of Persian restaurants popped up in Metro Manila. Many food stalls started offering shawarma, none of which tasted right. Some places served muttabal, which I loved.

A few years ago, my mom decided to try making hummus. It was one of the best decisions she ever made. Hummus, served with pita bread and roasted chicken, made us perfectly happy.

This weekend, we decided to make hummus. Here’s what you need:

• 2 cans, about 400g each, garbanzos
• 2 packs, 100g each, sesame seeds
• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 heads garlic, peeled and chopped roughly
• olive oil
• salt
• pita bread, however many you can eat

Directions:

1. Drain the garbanzos and soak them in warm water. When the water cools to room temperature, peel the garbanzos. All of them.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, until they’re lightly browned. You’ll be able to smell them. If you’ve overcooked them, you’ll be able to smell that too!
3. Pour the sesame seeds in the blender. Add water in small amounts and blend to make a paste. Add olive oil and blend.
4. When the sesame seeds are blended smooth, add the garlic, garbanzos, and water in small batches.
5. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste.

Enjoy with pita bread! Works great with grilled or roasted meats and vegetables. Also brings back our childhood and makes our tummies happy.

(There’s no picture because we gobble it up before remember to document it.)

I recently found some recipes for hummus with different kinds of beans, like red kidney beans or white beans. I told my brother we should try them someday!