December 7, 2010
Crap, I'm Busy, But Mimi's Hummus Is Awesome, So Lemme Tell You About It
'Ello there. I have a fairly stress-free life, but due to my inability to manage my time (I think I possessed such ability at some point, but lost it all as soon as I made the transition from "college student" to "adult who forgot everything she learned in college") I've dug myself into a slippery, muddy pit of work, and work, and no sleep, and work. (The work is related to the upcoming Serious Eats book—the publisher needs stuff now, pretty much, and I'm still working on the photos. Ah. Ahhhh. Aaaeeuuhhhhhhhfuckinpoopypoop.) For once, it's a somewhat legit reason for me to not update my blog (as opposed to those other times when I don't update my blog, which are usually caused by "dickin' around on the Internet...like, damn, did you see that video of the ducklings being blown over by the wind and rolling around like crazy? AHAHAHA HILARIOUS or sad NO, IT'S HILARIOUS"), but I feel shitty about it. Also, as I'm going on a family vacation to Orlando from Thursday to next Tuesday, I figured if I didn't say something now it'd be a hell of a long gap between my last post and the latest one.
So...this post...is so far...not very useful. Okay, here's some hummus. The best hummus in the city, perhaps.
- All, glorious mound of creamy pulverized chickpeas.
It seems wrong to deem anything "the best [insert foodstuff]" if you haven't tried every possible contender in the category, but after you eat at Mimi's Hummus you don't want to try anything else because Mimi's has set an impossibly high standard of hummus awesomeness. Granted, I'm saying this as someone who's never been to the Middle East, nor someone who would characterize herself as a hummus expert. In general, I merely like hummus, but specifically, I love Mimi's hummus.
Whyyyy? It's silky smooth. It's creamy. It haz a flavor. It's thick and rich, but not too much of either. I eat it and think, "This is what I want all hummus to be like." I've never had such deeply satisfying hummus before.
- PITA. PITAAA.
The hummus would be great on its own, but it's better slathered on fresh pita. This is the good stuff: warm, thick, fluffy bread rounds. They offer whole wheat and white, but we all know white is tastier. NO DEBATE ALLOWED.
- OTHER TASTY THINGS.
Mimi's Hummus also makes non-hummus items worth trying—shakshuka, lamb pie, beet salad, and eggplant "caviar" pictured above—but if you can only order one thing, it's the hummus you're after. During my last visit to Mimi's with seven other people, we shared four kinds of hummus, along with everything above.
...I think that was one of the fastest food reviews I've ever written. Because it's quite incomplete. But you get the gist. Maybe I should write like this more often. SPEED POST. [WOOSH]
If you have a recommendation for better hummus in the city, tell me and I'll check it out. ...Maybe. I'm quite attached to Mimi's. Word of warning: It's a tiny place with 16-ish seats. If you want to go with a large group, you should call them first.
Mimi's Hummus
1209 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn NY 11218 (map)
718-284-4444; mimishummus.com
Posted by roboppy at 2:12 AM
Comments (17)
sounds like someone's (pita) racist :p
They offer whole wheat and white, but we all know white is tastier. NO DEBATE ALLOWED.
I'm not entirely a hummus lover, but that shakshuka stuff looks all sorts of delicious. I see no visible evidence of a salad though...
Robyn, I was glad to see this post because I ate at Mimi's a month or two ago. As someone who visited the Middle East 4 times (and masticated an embarassing amount of hummus and pita), I agree that Mimi's makes hummus just right: smooth, fresh, warm, creamy, and flavorful. The Israeli couple sitting next to us clearly loved it too! I do disagree with you about the pita; my husband and I thought the whole wheat delightfully chewy. Everything tasted so fresh and delicious, as if we were on a farm and not in the middle of a city. The tiny space warmed us with its candelit coziness.
Also, too bad you didn't try their desserts! What an amazing place, a special haven.
Kim: You should go back and EAT A WHOLE PLATTER! Mmmm.
I've been to Hummus Kitchen and Hummus Place, which I'm sure I liked, but they weren't as memorable.
Julie: They do serve a version topped with meat. :D Not that it needs meat!
Tiffany: We once did a store-bought hummus taste test at work. ...Yeah a lot of it tastes funny. :(
Bonnie: Shakshuka is so good! I've never actually made it though. Seems like it'd be easy. Hm.
Sofia: YAY! I should write this brief stuff more often.
I finished my first round of book photos tonight! VICTORY!
Nick: MM REFINED GRAIN, DELICIOUS!
I mean, the whole wheat is good too, but I like the white one more.
Beet salad = just chopped up beets!
You might love this hummus. Next time you're in NYC we should go! Would be quite a change from "death by burger."
serena: I'd like to know if your hummus snob friend approves of this place. :)
Sarah: I didn't dislike the whole wheat, but...I didn't like it as much. Certainly good for a whole wheat pita though!
Ah man, I was too full for dessert. Will have to remember that for next time!
great review, well deserved. Mimi's is our go-to place for take out and whenever we have a sitter to head to dine-in. I am now starving for her food. The pics are also really well done!
Posted by: carissa at December 9, 2010 12:02 PM [#]
The hummus will power you through the work load. Stay strong!
Posted by: christine liang at December 9, 2010 8:13 PM [#]
"They offer whole wheat and white, but we all know white is tastier. NO DEBATE ALLOWED."
THANK YOU
I always feel a little crazy when I ask for the white pita while everyone else around me goes for the whole wheat.
"MM REFINED GRAIN" indeed :]
Posted by: Angela at December 16, 2010 8:05 AM [#]
carissa: Wish I could get take out from Mimi's more easily!..I'm too far away. Noooo.
Christine: I MADE IT THROUGH THE WORK LOAD...and then I went on vacation and got more work to do. Oops. ;_;
Beth: Thanks for reading!
Angela: We can eat our refined wheat in solidarity!..wee. ;) I like whole wheat sometimes, but not so much in my pita. I think growing up with the most fiberific whole wheat bread as a kid made me a bit averse to it too. I didn't appreciate good bread until waaay later.
What can I say, does anything in NYC compare to homemade hummous from a person on middle eastern decent? So far no. Mimi's is okay, the bread is good.
Here is true offer, I will bring you a quart of homemade hummous if you want. Email if you would like to try.
Okay! I will give you my hummus recipe. It will take longer then making hummus. My hummus "recipe" is more of an approach using the right ingredients, which I will describe too.
This recipe slash approach produces hummus like my Armenian grandmother's. She was raised in Beirut, and lived to feed her serious and critical Armenian husband from Ramallah/Jerusalem/Beirut. Nary a word is written done about her hummus, nor did she ever explain what she was doing. I watched, and recreated. As an eater of hummus from the early 80's until the present is that if you haven't had it from someone's home, then your point of flavor comparison may be a step below the original. What's in the store is good, but it isn't fresh. What's in the restaurant is good, but its made in bulk. I have only tasted super delicious hummus from other middle eastern families, and love and accept variety as a golden standard.
1 quart of hummus
2 cans of chickpeas
(fresh is better, follow these directions http://bit.ly/eCooyR)
2 big spoons full of tahini
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled roughly chopped
1-2 lemons
cayenne
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt
olive oil
canola oil
1/2 can of hummus liquids
1/2 can of water
Finding the right ingredients:
Tahini
I find 2 distinct flavors tahini at the market. One with a bitter flavor, and one with nutty flavor. There is nothing on the jar that suggests the flavor difference, but you can taste it. I suggest buying tahini in a glass jar from the middle east. If it has arabic or hebrew on it, buy it. This may require shopping at grocery store that carries middle eastern foods.
Garlic
If it has green sprouts throw it out. That makes hummus bitter. Old, dried, garlic, throw it out. The best garlic seems to from the farmer's market, a little less sharp. Fresher is better.
Lemons
I don't know how to find the perfect lemon. Lemons dramatically vary in acidity, and I guess we can "blame" nature. You're going to have to test the hummus to know.
Preparation
Add half a can of water to half a can of chickpea can liquids, mix. You will be using this fluid to thin the hummus.
Pour the chickpeas into a cuisinart along with 2 large (soup spoon) spoonfuls of tahini, the juice of 1 lemon, salt, a pinch of cayenne, and 2 garlic cloves. Cover and puree. Add 3-4 glugs of olive oil, 2 glugs of canola oil and a splash of the chickpea fluid/water. The hummus should be running smoothly, but will still be a bit thick.
Stop the cusisinart and taste. Add more garlic, salt, cayenne, or lemon juice depending on your taste. I prefer my hummus a certain way (garlicy with a hint of lemon with less salt like Grandma's) and find that I use a different combination of aromatics every time.
Turn the cuisinart back on. Thin the hummus with reserved fluids/water to suit your dip's destination. Chilled hummus thickens. If you are preparing it to be served after chilling, thin the hummus an extra amount. If you plan to serve the hummus fresh, thin to desired consitency.
Add the fluids in a stream until you hear a light slapping inside the bowl. That should be just right for fresh serving fresh. Add a few more splashes after the light slapping sound for a hummus that can be chilled.
Hummus tastes best after 1-4 hours, served room temperature with oil drizzled on top and sprinkle of sumac powder. I like mine served with radishes and cucumbers, and thin arabic bread. Any fresh bread is nice. Hot bread is what wins me at any restaurant!
I sometimes add cumin, allspice and ginger to my hummus for different flavor. Roasted garlic or caramelized makes for a sweeter hummus. I've also started swapping lemon juice and salt for pickled lemons http://bit.ly/eZ8ReR
Let me know if anyone has questions! Email if you want to send me your different approaches slash recipes! naomidonabedian@gmail.com
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: This is the 
I looooove hummus! I passed by Mimi's once, but because I was by myself, I didn't think I could finish a platter of this great dip. Silly me.
Have you been to Hummus Kitchen and Hummus Place? They serve awesome hummus as well. I try to remake hummus at home, but it's just not the same...
Fluffy pita...hmm...
Posted by: kim at December 7, 2010 8:32 AM [#]