This is dressed-up hummus.  Adding some vadouvan pops the flavors in this hummus, while still preserving the basic goodness of mashed chickpeas. Vadouvan is an Indian French mix of the Pondicherry curry – that has hints of roasted shallots and is mild on the heat scale. Tahini, an important element of any hummus mutes the acid of the lemon while binding in the pungency of the garlic.  The masala pita points make a great snack on its own!

Chef’s tip:  You can get vadouvan at Le Sanctuaire (315 Sutter, SF).  If you can’t find vadouvan, make your own quick, poor man’s substitute: saute some shallots, garlic and a little bit of ginger with some oil under very low heat for 20 minutes till the onion is caramelized.  Then mix in some madras curry powder, an equal amount of ground fenugreek, chiffonades of curry leaves and some ground urad dhal, salt and pepper and continue to saute a minute more till it forms small lumps. Spread it on a baking tray and bake under low heat for an hour (or what they do in sunny South India, sun for 3 days!) A more detailed version can be found in Gourmet.com

Masala Pita:
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon fennel
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon paprika

8 pieces 6-inch pita
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Hummus:
2 cans chickpeas / garbanzo, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juice
2 Tablespoons vadouvan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon long pepper, ground
1/4 cup tahini

Some extra virgin olive oil
Edible flowers or parsley for garnish

Making the pita points:
1. Toast the fennel and cumin in a saute pan until fragrant.  Let cool slightly and grind in a spice grinder together with the black peppercorns and salt.
2. Preheat oven 350F.  Cut each pita into 8.  Lay pita points on a baking sheet and brush the top side with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle on spice mix and bake in the oven till golden, about 10 minutes.
Preparing the hummus:
4. In a food processor, combine all ingredients (reserving half a can of garbanzo) and blend till smooth.  Add more water if needed until a smooth consistency the thickness of peanut butter forms. Add the remaining garbanzo and give it a few pulse to create a hand-mashed lumpy feel to the dip.
5. Place hummus in the middle of a large platter.  Make a small indentation in the middle and drizzle on some olive oil.  Next take the flat end of the pita points and insert into the hummus, forming a sun star pattern around hummus.  Garnish with edible flowers or chopped parsley.

Serves: 8

Tags: dips, finger foods, Indian, vegan, Vegetarian.