How to Make Hummus Like Chef Einat Admony

Israeli restaurateur behind NYC’s Balaboosta and Taïm shares her recipe

By Stephanie Butnick|November 6, 2014  TABLET

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Israeli chef Einat Admony, who with her husband owns the restaurants Balaboosta and Bar Bolonat and the falafel chain Taïm in New York City, is an established champion of “new Israeli cuisine” and has been one of the most visible forces responsible for bringing Israeli cuisine to American diners in the recent years.

Admony shared her Middle Eastern cooking expertise in a new video for Eater, showing viewers how she makes hummus and an eggplant mousse similar to baba ghanoush.

“I’m making hummus,” Admony explains, pronouncing the name of the chickpea spread with a thick Israeli accent—choomooz—before quickly adding, with a humorously Americanized inflection, “or hummus.” (Clearly, she knows her New York clientele.)

Making these spreads are easy, she tells viewers—there’s no need to buy them from a store. Her tip for perfect hummus is to add cold water and olive oil, which makes the spread the right texture.

She also offers advice on how to pick a good eggplant: You want a dark, heavy eggplant, which means there’s a lot of seeds in side. (Bruises are fine.)

You can watch the video here.

Related: Israeli Chefs Bring a New Spin on Middle Eastern Food to America
The Taste of Jerusalem