HUMMOS BI LAHME – Recipe from SOFRA
Hummos topped with lamb and pine nuts
Ingredients
350 grams of dry chickpeas
1 tsp bicarb soda
250 grams tahini
100mls lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
50-100mls ice cold water
Salt to taste
For the meat topping
400 grams of lamb tenderloins
100grams of lamb fat (mine was from a lamb shoulder i had)
1 tsp 7 spice bharat
1 tsp cumin
2 TBS Ghee
1/4 cup of pine nuts
Aleppo chilli
Salt to taste
Method
I only ever use coarse mince when cooking, especially on the weekend, as the flecks of fat caramelise in the ghee and add deliciously rich savoury tones to the silky hummus base.
Prepare the chickpeas and allow them to cool slightly, whilst warm drain the chickpeas well and transfer them to a food processor and begin to process them until a stiff paste forms. It is important they become a paste before you add any of the other ingredients otherwise you will not have a smooth hummus. Remove the lid of the processor and give it a mix, put the lid back on. Whilst the machine is still running, add the tahini gradually, along with the lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Once those ingredients have been processed and whilst the machine is still running add the ice cold water, drizzling slowly, and keep processing the hummus for another 3 minutes.
If you have made this in advance, place the hummus in the fridge once it has cooled and bring back to room temperature when you wish to serve, otherwise set aside until required.
Heat a wide based fry pan on high heat add the ghee then add the fat and then the lamb and spices. Continue to cook the meat until all the liquid has evaporated and the lamb is slightly crispy and glossy.
In a small fry pan, add 1 TBS ghee along with the pine nuts and fry until
they are golden brown.
To assemble, place the hummos on a flat plate and spread it out
evenly but not too thin. Tip the mince meat on top and spread evenly on the
hummos. Garnish with pine nuts and aleppo chilli.
#sundaykitchen #sofra #lebanese #lebanesefood #food #cooking #fyp #dinner #lunch #breakfast #delicious #levant #arabsjustknowhowtolive #man
So hands up if this reminds you of your dad?
Okay, so I’ve done many tributes to the women and matriarchs in my family, but this one’s for the Arab men. I don’t know what it is, but there is something so masculine about Hamus with Lakme that reminds me of all the men in my life, from my dad to my husband Abdul and my father-in-law. So, it could be the memories I have of the SS in Tripoli. Men with Darbush hats serving bowls just like this one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or maybe it’s the way they asked for it. The hummus had to be homemade. The lamb had to be fatty. The pine nuts had to come from Lebanon. Everything had to be cooked in ghee and all eaten with the freshest Lebanese bread you can get your hands on.
Dining and Cooking