The Best Bean Sauces Are Made With Flour
When looking for the perfect bean sauce, you’ll end up with either a rough, dense, messy brick or a light, smooth, silky paste. Let’s avoid bricks. The best way to make bean sauce fluffy without lumps is to use flour, i.e. bean flour.
Garbanzo (chickpea) bean flour is the most common bean flour, but I sometimes see black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans. Manufacturers grind all beans to obtain an ultra-fine flavored powder that absorbs moisture well due to its fiber content.
Bean flour can be used in a variety of ways as a great gluten-free ingredient, but its delicate texture and absorbency make it especially ideal for bean sauce. Beans are ground into much finer particles than you could get by tossing whole, soaked beans into a food processor, and the surface area of the tiny pieces allows them to instantly rehydrate with a little hot water.
You can use this method to turn any bean flour into a dip. I had chickpea flour on hand, so I made hummus. Not just hummus. The lightest and most tender hummus in my life. The “process” is actually just two simple steps: Moisten the bean meal with hot water, then mix in with the other ingredients.
I measured the chickpea flour into a bowl and added boiling water from an electric kettle. Alternatively, you can heat water in the microwave or on the stovetop. I poured hot water into the bean flour in a continuous stream. It smoothed out, but remained slightly lumpy. (Don’t worry about that.) I added tahini, half a serving of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder. Using an immersion blender, I blended the ingredients for 10-20 seconds and broke up any remaining clumps. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add the mixture to a regular food processor and pulse a few times. Serve the bean sauce in a bowl, drizzling with the remaining olive oil.
The sauce will thicken a little as it steeps and absorbs a little more water, but I recommend you taste the sauce while it’s still warm. It’s the comforting, savory equivalent of a warm cookie. The following recipe features simple classic flavors, but take the opportunity to explore and add other spices and herbs. For other bean sauces, spread your wings a little. Try adding yogurt, roasted garlic, ripe avocado, or soft cream cheese.
The silkiest hummus
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2 cups freshly boiled water
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup olive oil (about half)
In a medium bowl, add the chickpea flour and whisk constantly in the water. Beat for about a minute. The mixture will thicken and you should be able to break up most of the lumps. Add the following four ingredients and half a measure of olive oil. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender until well blended and no clumps, 10-30 seconds. (Alternatively, you can use a regular food processor.) Serve drizzling with the remaining olive oil.