What do you get when you mix an aspiring lama, with oodles of extra virgin olive oil? No, not an oil covered monk! You get some of the most delectable and innovative hummus varieties this side of the Gulf.
The Hummus Co. was started by Jay Dhanak {aka Jimmy} sometime last year, and its products have already made a firm place for themselves at Gurgaon and South Delhi soirees.
Having been born and raised in Dubai, healthy eating wasn’t a lifestyle option for Jay; he just didn’t know any other way to eat! The glorious Mediterranean diet is high on protein, low on carbs, high on fibre, low on fat – all the elusive traits a great diet is made up of. Jay speaks fondly of cafes in Dubai, where their version of table freebies {basically our masala peanuts} were fresh tabouleh salads heaped with bright parsley, and bowls of tangy olives.
Jay left the Mediterranean shores in his early 20’s and found himself drawn to the mountains of Ladakh. He spent 8 months there, but sadly, this wannabe-monk had no Ferrari to sell, and he started his descent into the plains of New Delhi. Lucky for us, all this exercise made him quite hungry.
Jay’s favourite snack of all time was good old hummus. Because it requires no cooking, hummus doesn’t lose any nutrition and is the king {or sheikh} of Mediterranean foods, as far as Jay was concerned. And so he searched high and low for the best hummus he could find, but came up empty. The only option was to get into the kitchen and make his own.
Jay still works out of his kitchen. Having moved on from his initial 3 or 4 hummus varieties {he launched his business on Facebook last year with only hummus}, his humble pantry now also churns out dips {over 30 varieties}, sauces and marinades.
The secret to his top-class hummus is the fact that it is freshly made, every single day, and he never compromises on ingredients, no matter what the cost. Hummus without the precious Extra Virgin Olive Oil is hummus not worth having. We were happy to find out that as far as he can control it, all of his ingredients are organic. The basil in his pesto and the garlic in pretty much everything are sourced from Farmers Markets in and around Delhi.
Jay’s wife and two kitchen helpers form his little army, but he insists on working up the recipes himself. Some whacky experiments and loads of trial and error later, his most popular offers are a Cheddar and Ale Dip, Bloody Mary Salsa, Tzatziki with Dill, and he {rather modestly} tells us, his famous Toum made with cream, yoghurt, garlic and parsley. When it comes to hummus, his favourites are Wasabi Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper or Chipotle Hummus, and the not-safe-for-kids Ghost Chilli Hummus made with the infamous Naga Bhut Jolokia.
When this happy chappie comes to your door to personally deliver the order, be sure to ask him about his soon-to-launch cold press juices, almond milk or peanut butter that he’s so excited about.