too much baking soda!

I followed some advice to add a bit of baking soda to the water when cooking garbanzo beans for hummus. It's supposed to help break down the skins and make a very smooth dip. HOWEVER, my hand slipped and "a bit" became TOO much. Now my hummus tastes "off". Any ideas for tempering the effect? It's already seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, but the baking soda taste/effect remains... As an aside... adding baking soda worked to break down the skins but my error resulted in a slurry. Thanks 52-ers!

arcane54
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7 Comments

Sarah M.
Sarah M. March 10, 2018
I did this too! I also filed under lesson learned. Sigh.
 
arcane54
arcane54 June 3, 2013
Thanks everyone! Once I added the lamb sauce ( from Paula Wolfert's book The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean) the baking soda's negative effects were minimized. I will try again since the soda's impact on the skins was substantial and resulted in a silken hummus.
 
Maedl
Maedl June 3, 2013
I don't think you can do much to rescue the beans at this point. Next time, I would soak the chick peas for a long time--18 to 24 hours and then cook--without baking soda.

Ruhlman has an interesting piece on cooking beans at http://ruhlman.com/2011/03/how-to-cook-dried-beans/ which may give you some ideas--particularly if you live in an area with hard water. He says soaking is optional, but I would not skip that step. Also be sure you have good quality, fresh beans. I have been happy with Rancho Gordo beans.
 
Mr_Vittles
Mr_Vittles June 3, 2013
If you're okay with turning into another type of hummus, I suggest a head of roasted and pureed garlic. Mmmm...Not much that don't cure.
 
ChefOno
ChefOno June 3, 2013

Leavening levity? I love it, Pierino!

Both the sodium and the alkalinity of baking soda will speed cooking considerably but at a cost, perhaps over amplified in this case. Sorry, no suggestion for how to recover. I think Cynthia is right about "lesson learned".

 
boulangere
boulangere June 3, 2013
Pierino, I don't think arcane54 was attempting to leaven hummus, but rather to hasten cooking of the garbanzo beans. As a last resort, arcane54, you might try adding some vinegar (red or white, but not balsamic because its flavor can be overpowering) to your hummus. I suspect, though that the baking soda has already been broken down by the cooking process, and therefore any acid added may be useless. You may need to file this one under "Lessons Learned."
 
pierino
pierino June 2, 2013
Personally I would skip the baking soda entirely. It really isn't necessary. It's not as though hummus needs chemical leavening.
 
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