We’re always looking for an excuse to catch up with Melbourne chef Tom Sarafian. Lucky for us, International Hummus Day – which this year falls on May 13 – gave us just that.

Between making hummus for his line of Sarafian products, developing what he tells us is a “ridiculously tasty” Baba Ganoush and working on collaborations with some of Melbourne’s best chefs, he answered some of our pressing hummus questions via email. Plus, Sarafian even shared his recipe for hummus bil lahme.

Happy International Hummus Day to all who celebrate.

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Hi, Tom! Let’s get straight to the hummus talk. We’d love to know, do you have any top tips for making hummus at home
Always use dried chickpeas. Not canned!

What’s a common hummus mistake and how can it be prevented?
Real hummus is never eaten cold. Let it come to room temperature after taking it out of the fridge before you dig in!

What are some of your favourite ways to eat Hummus for…

Breakfast
I love to eat it on toasted sourdough with soft boiled eggs and chilli in the morning, or spread it onto pita with marinated peppers and olives if I’m on the go.

Lunch
With mushrooms cooked in lots of butter and toum.

Dinner
With roasted pumpkin and beetroot.

As a snack
With an A1 Bakery’s za’atar manoushi.

You’ve done a lot of pop-ups lately and several charity events, do you have any idea how much money you’ve helped raise?
I actually don't know the exact figure! Sofia Levin threw a few special events and dinners including one in a small art gallery at QV for MND Victoria with no kitchen and raised over $100,000. That’s pretty amazing and I was proud to help by cooking an Armenian barbecue with Karrin Kose of Florian, along with Misha Tropp and Sam Fraraccio.

Are there any causes or organisations you’ve helped raise funds for that you think people should be paying more attention to?
Alex Dekker is an incredibly focused and ambitious young man who feeds thousands of people in need every week through his organisation Alex Makes Meals. I was part of his fundraiser dinner at the St Kilda Town Hall a few weeks ago. It was a great night, especially for the first charity dinner Alex has organised He’s one to watch.

People miss eating your food! Do you have any upcoming pop-ups you can tell us about?
I miss people eating my food, too! I’ll keep cooking as many pop-ups as I can in between hummus production. I have events coming up at Bar Liberty, Florian, Jayden Ong, Babas Place inSydney, Young Hearts and one in July with Free to Feed for Broadsheet Access.

Are there any restaurants in Melbourne you’re loving right now?
I’ve had a couple of incredibly tasty and inspiring meals at Jeow recently. Thi [Le]’s food is awesome, full of big beautiful and interesting flavours. For me, it’s the best cooking in Melbourne.

Have you tried chocolate hummus?
I couldn’t think of anything worse! The word ‘hummus’ translates to ‘chickpea’ in Arabic. Hummus should just be hummus!

Would you dare?
Never!

Food holidays are silly. What’s one food holiday you’d love to see added to the calendar?
Taco toum day! The celebration of Lebanese migration into Mexico is a very delicious one and something I’d love to see on more Lebanese and Mexican menus around town.

What are you jamming to in the kitchen when you're making Hummus?
The number one question I’m asked about my hummus is, ‘what’s the secret to getting it so smooth?’. Well, the secret is the music we play in the kitchen!

Lots of Isaac Hayes, Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye when soaking and cooking the chickpeas. Talking Heads, OutKast, Beastie Boys and LCD Soundsystem are great for peeling garlic. Johnny Cash and Jay-Z are for juicing lemons, Solange for blending and when we fill, pack and label the jars we play Prince really loud.

I’ve also been enjoying the Desperado and Breaking Bad soundtracks almost too much lately. Music is the key.

sarafian.com.au
@tomsarafian