giddy with delight

I was inspired today by another foreign friend - who speaks much better Chinese than I. She showed me how to find all the ingredients to make Hummus! I have craved this deliciousness for years - and all along, its been under my nose! We learned the word for "sesame paste" (芝麻酱 zhī ma jiàng) and found it so easily. Doh! After making Hummus, we had to make gyro meat and pita bread too. It ended up being quite the production, but we were so giddy - it didn't matter!

Here's the details:

Hummus
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini/sesame paste
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
dash of cumin/cayenne
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper to taste
water/olive oil to make creamier
Blend all ingredients well! Garnish with parsley or chili pepper.

Pita Bread
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
Combine first 4 ingredients, add 1 cup flour + yeast. Mix well. Add 2 cups flour and knead into a soft dough. You can also use a bread machine for this step! Then, Oil the top of the dough & cover while it rises for 1 hour (in a warm place). With a knife cut into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls. On a floured surface, roll into 7+ inch flat circles (not too thin). Set aside & cover with a towel. They will continue to rise! Bake (1-2 at a time) on a wire rack in the middle of the oven (500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned. You want to take them out before they get too dry/browned. Remove & cover to soften & cool. Cut in half & fill as desired! (fill with any combo of: meat, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, hummus)

Gyro Meat
1 lb meat (lamb, beef or chicken) chopped fine
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder/garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Fry in oil on med heat, add spices while cooking!

My new craving is for Cucumber Raita sauce.
And I am more motivated to learn Chinese too!