Roasted Carrot Miso Hummus Plate with Spiced Chicken (and Shaved Carrot & Asparagus Salad)

While I will never turn my nose at classic hummus, lately I’ve really been enjoying flavor variations such as kale hummus, beet hummus , and this glorious Roasted Carrot Miso. It is slightly sweet, earthy and complex, and has tons of savory umami from the miso. It is the perfect base for salads, yet perfect simply served with warm pita.

But before we get into the recipe, let’s address the elephant in the room- the great chickpea skin debate. Some swear by removing the skins for a smoother, creamier texture, while others argue that it’s an unnecessary step that complicates the hummus-making process.

Those in favor claim that removing chickpea skins creates a smoother, creamier texture in your hummus and allows the flavors of the other ingredients to better shine through. Those opposed argue that removing chickpea skins is tedious and time-consuming, and depletes them of valuable nutrients and fiber.

Whether to remove chickpea skins for hummus ultimately boils down to your own taste preferences and willingness to put in the extra effort. I personally don’t think it is essential and only do it about half the time. Nonetheless, my method for removing the skins from the chickpeas is below, should you decide to give it a try.

Ingredients

1 lb. carrots
1 1/2 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
Kosher salt
black pepper
2 cups chickpeas, if you are removing the skins, as skinning them reduces yield (see instructions below), 1 1/2 cups (one 15 oz. can) if you are not removing the skins
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp sweet white miso
ice water
If removing chickpea skins you will also need:
1 tsp baking soda
Carrot and Asparagus Salad
3 large carrots
8 thick asparagus stalks
1 shallot
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Spiced Chicken
1 lb. ground chicken
2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ras al hanout
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Kosher salt
black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mint
sesame seeds (optional), for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° (F). Peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch pieces. Toss with neutral oil and season with 1/2 tsp Kosher salt and a few cranks of freshly cracked black pepper. Roast on a parchment paper or foil covered sheet pan until softened and starting to brown, about 25-30 minutes. When the carrots are room temperature, add 1 1/2 cups of them to the work bowl of your food processor (save the rest for a garnish or snack on them) with 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, garlic, tahini, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, turmeric, miso and 1 tbsp ice water. Process until smooth. The mixture will likely be very thick. Add more ice water, 1 tbsp at a time until the hummus is your desired consistency. Process for 4-5 minutes to aerate hummus and make the texture smoother.
Place a 10-in sauté pan over medium high heat. Season the ground chicken with 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. Place the ground chicken into the pan and press into one large meat disk, covering the entirety of the sauté pan. Do not stir the chicken. Instead, allow the chicken to cook until a fragrant crust develops. Once this occurs, break up the chicken slightly using a spatula and slide it over to one side of the pan to create a little of bit of room for the garlic. Add a small amount of your preferred cooking oil to the empty space, add the garlic to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the ras al hanout and turmeric into the oil with the garlic and stir, frying the mixture for a minute or so, then stirring it into the chicken, continuing to break up the chicken with your spatula.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave both the carrots and asparagus into ribbons. Slice the shallot thinly. In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, asparagus, shallots, cilantro, mint, seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste.
Build the plates, dividing the hummus equally, using a big dollop in the center of the plate, then spreading into into a 4 inch(ish) diameter circle. Divide the spiced meat between the plates then top with the shaved carrot and asparagus salad. Garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

TO REMOVE SKINS FROM CANNED CHICKPEAS : Combine 2 cups of drained (but still moist) chickpeas and 1 tsp baking soda in a small saucepan or skillet. Stir continuously over medium heat until the chickpeas are uniformly hot. Stir for another minute. Transfer the chickpeas to a large bowl with cold water, and rub gently with your fingers. The chickpea skins should slip off easily and float to the top of the water. After about 4-5 minutes of rubbing, appx. 80% of the skins will be removed, but keep going if you want to remove them all. To remove the skins from the water, swirl the water in the bowl so the skins rise to the top then, either: 1) pour the water with the skins into the sink (taking care not to discard any chickpeas) and refill bowl with cold water; or 2) skim off with a strainer.
TO REMOVE SKINS FROM STOVETOP CHICKPEAS COOKED FROM 1 lb. DRIED: Add 2 tsp to chickpea water no sooner than 1 hour from the end of chickpea cook time (any longer will make chickpeas too mushy and skins to disintegrated to remove easily). Carefully drain the cooked chickpeas and return them to their pot. Fill the pot with cold water, swirl, and drain a few more times with cold water to cool the chickpeas down. Once the water is cool enough to submerge your hands, massage the chickpeas gently with your fingers. The chickpea skins should slip off easily and float to the top of the water. After about 4-5 minutes of rubbing, appx. 80% of the skins will be removed, but keep going if you want to remove them all. To remove the skins from the water, swirl the water in the bowl so the skins rise to the top then, either: 1) pour the water with the skins into the sink (taking care not to discard any chickpeas) and refill bowl with cold water; or 2) skim off with a strainer.