Drain the chickpeas and give them a quick rinse. For easy peeling, place the chickpeas in a bowl with enough cold tap water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Gently rub the chickpeas between your fingers. This helps in removing their skin which will start to float to the top, leaving the chickpeas at the bottom of the bowl. Start draining the water, removing the skins as you go. Discard the skins (or compost) Repeat this process once again to make sure all the chickpeas are peeled.
Place the peeled chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 40 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then process at high speed for about 3 minutes, adding one cube of ice every 50-60 seconds to keep the mixture cold. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste with additional tahini, lemon and/or salt.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap making sure the wrap touches the surface of the hummus. This will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours so the flavors develop and meld together.
When ready to serve, make a small crater with the back of a spoon and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish and serve with pita bread or pita chips and/or veggies.
Notes
Adding ice cubes to the mixture while processing produces the most luxurious, creamiest and fluffiest hummus ever!
Blend/process the hummus for 5 full minutes, adding ice cubes every 50-60 seconds. This guarantees smoothness and creaminess.
Using good quality ingredients is a must when making Lebanese hummus.
Making-Ahead: Hummus tastes even better when made a day ahead and will keep in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for a week.
Storing: Store leftover hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
Freezing: Hummus freezes well for up to 3 months, stored in an airtight container.