Muhammara – Put the Hummus on the back burner…
For a while… I could never betray my soul mate!
But, Muhammara; a red-hot Syrian concoction will surely get you cheering them on, no matter what your political views are?! If you like Baba Ghanouj (Lebanese Eggplant Dip) and Hummus (Lebanese Chickpea Dip) then you will absolutely salivate all over this red-dusk temptation. A combination of charred red bell peppers, walnuts and oh…oh…oh pomegranate molasses, makes Muhammara a definite winner. Amen!
What’s more? It’s easy and quick to make and great for your next BBQ.
Muhammara
- 70g of toasted fresh bread crumbs ( 2 slices of toast, I used whole grain and not pita for texture)
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and optional
- 120g walnuts
- 3 bell peppers, charred
- 30ml tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 30ml olive oil
- Drizzle of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon paprika & 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper if you have
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 food bags or ziploc
P.S: You can add hot pepper to this, but I do not like the overwhelming feeling of pain on my tongue
Pita Crisps
- 1 Loaf per person, Preferably Arabic bread not Greek Pita
- Olive oil
- Salt to taste
slice into wedges as above
Drizzle with olive oil and rock salt. I used Hawaiian salt and about 1 tablespoon olive oil per loaf.
bake in pre-heated oven 350F/180C/4G for about 15 minutes,
turning half way.
The Nitty Gritty
Char the bell peppers over a medium flame,
turning them every couple of minutes till they look like so:
Place in bags, knot and cover with a kitchen towel for about
15 minutes
using the bag, pinch a bit off the butt of the pepper and then begin peeling the skin.
Most of it is charred so it will feel like you’re not peeling much, but the burnt bits will come off.
It’s ok to have some left. Do not even think of rinsing them off. They add depth of character
flavor.
Fillet the edges, leaving the seeds intact and away from the good stuff.
Roughly chop it all up, don’t give it too much attention. It’s going into the blender.
In a blender add toasted bread, smashed garlic, walnuts, paprika and cayenne pepper
Give it a good whiz
Add the chopped bell pepper and pomegranate molasses
Puree for about a minute or so, till desired texture is reached. I’m looking for a smooth consistency
Give it a taste and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. I added about 2 tablespoons of olive
oil and a drizzle of lemon juice
Serve immediately or refrigerate until required. It will last in the fridge for 2 or more days.
P.S: Muhammara in Arabic means, reddened…
yummy, looks delicious!!!
That’s pretty spiffy! I’ve never heard of this before, but it looks fabulous
Wow does that look great! I love hummous and baba ganoush, but this sounds so flavorful! Yum!
Wow! This looks delish. I love hummus, I cannot wait to try this!
How does she do it? Amazing recipes that are so simple yet incredibly exotic…now I have a use for my stash of pomegranate mollasses!
looks scrumptious definitely going to try this one!
Muhammara is definitely good! I like just about anything with roasted red peppers in it.
i absolutely love muhammara! i’ve tried several versions, some spicy and some not (tend to like them not spicy since i can’t handle too much spice) but when looking for recipes, i’ve also seen several versions.
some include the red pepper, some not – focusing more on walnuts. some had the pomegranate molasses, and some not. Yours has all the good stuff in one recipe so i’m definitely going to give it a try next weekend when i have the in laws over!
Just quick q tho, is your recipe the traditional way of making it? do you have an idea of why other recipes miss out essential ingredients?
HJ- Thanks for stopping by! Adding Aleppo pepper will add that bit more of authenticity, howver combining all three ingredients as you mentioned is crucial. I assume that certain traditional ingredients get dropped depending on the cook’s palate…
Let me know how you get on with making it next week
I love muhammara … try it guys … i am sure that you will like it, its yummy
Yay….I found it!!!!!!!!!! I loved it so much, I’m considering ….hmmmm…..don’t know! Thank you dear