Everyone needs a good basic muhammara recipe in their back pocket, especially If you’re a fan of flavorful  spreads for dipping up with bread or veggies — one taste and you will just fall in love with it. Muhammara is a Syrian classic that seems to be becoming not only popular in the Middle East but all over the world. It is made from a blend of roasted red bell peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, breadcrumbs, cumin powder, onion and corriander powder. Like hummus and baba ghanoush, muhammara reflects the spirirt of sharing in the Middle East, it is meant to be served as a side, part of the mezze, as a dip for bread, a spread for kibbeh and kebabs or even consider it as a centerpiece for your next snack board — a glorious combination of sweet, tangy and smoky.

Muhammara Spread, Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

With or without tahini: There are two camps in the muhammara-loving world, some love the earthy flavor of tahini, while others might scoff at using it here, and while readers swear by how good my muhammara recipe is in my cookbook that is tahini-free, still there seem to be many ways to make muhammara as there are people who cook it; and I tell you I recently tested it with tahini based on an advice of a Syrian friend from Aleppo. At the beginning I felt that there was no need to test with tahini simply because my recipe is well balanced and needed no other ingredient to alter the flavors, and deep inside I thought that this was her Middle Eastern taste buds judging — we are conditioned to add tahini in basically every dip we eat in the Middle East, and maybe in every baby feeding bottle , just kidding.. yes we love our tahini, so I had to test it to see if it works before sharing it with the world, no one likes to invest time in a recipe that doesn’t work. To me it’s all about balance and contrast and about how different flavors make each other taste better.

Now I bet you are asking how did the experiment work with the tahini version, and do the flavors go together? The answer is absolutely yes, with or without tahini I would say both versions are great, but maybe I gravitate more to the unique spin of tahini — my mouth is watering just thinking about it. You see, great recipes are also community-driven, and sometimes having another view on a recipe allows you to gain valuable insight about flavors and textures, it is good to be open to other feedbacks.

The concept of Muhammara

You need to roast red bell peppers, cook the diced onion, add the walnuts, blended together with pomegranate molasses, add olive oil, breadcrumbs, tahini and season with salt, cumin powder and coriander powder. Muhamara is popular for a reason I mean take a look at the ingredients, each of which has its part to counterbalance one another — a glorious combination of sweet, tangy and smoky.

• Walnuts: Use fresh walnut halves and take a few minutes to toast them to bring out their earthy flavor. Leave to cool down before processing.
• Red Bell Peppers: I used red bell pepper, but aruba pepper or any type of red pepper can be used, if you prefer it spicier, mix in some hot peppers. Roast the peppers yourself for more fresh taste, but still you can use jarred roasted red peppers to save time. Make sure to drain well before using.
• Onion: Sautee the onion with some olive oil until fragrant and tender.
• Cumin Powder and Coriander Powder add flavor to muhammara.
• Aleppo Pepper, optional
• Salt: everybody knows that salt plays a crucial role in elevating flavors.
• Pomegranate Molasses adds a tart and tangy flavor and an underlying caramelized sweetness, just like salt, it’s an important part of balancing muhammara.
• Tahini: use a good brand, Lebanese tahini brands are the best, no bias here.
• Breadcrumbs, preferably panko breadcrumbs; panko crumb is made from the toasted light, fluffy centre of the bread no crust involved
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: using a high-quality olive will obviously improve the taste of Muhammara.
• Pomegranate seeds: Garnishing with pomegranate seeds provides mohammara with an attractive color, but it is really more than just a garnish. Adding pomegranate seeds will provide a crunchy contrast and will brighten the flavor profile of your dip.

The versatility of Muhammara:

• Serve it with pita bread or toasted bread as an appetizer.
• Use it as an impressive sauce for pasta, treat it just like you treat pesto in pasta.
• Serve it as part of the Lebanese and Middle Eastern  mezze.
• A dip for roasted chicken.
• A spread for kibbeh and kebabs.
• A filling for kibbeh.
• A centerpiece for your next snack board.

If you have any new way  to serve muhammara, let us know your suggestions in the comment section, sometimes having another view on a recipe allows us to gain valuable insight about flavors and textures.

And now let’s get started!

To roast the red bell peppers: stem, cut to quarters, seed and place on a baking sheet.

Roast for 15- 20 minutes or until partially blackened on the outside.

Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately seal them with a lid for 10 minutes, so their steam is trapped. This will loosen the skin, making it easier to peel them.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat. Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes, just to bring out their earthy flavor. Leave them to cool down completely.

Heat up oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil starts to shimmer, toss in the onion and cook until it goes soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse to considerably grind. Add the roasted peppers, breadcrumbs, cooked onion with its oil, cumin powder, coriander powder and red pepper flakes. Process until combined. With the motor running, gradually add the pomegranate molasses and tahini until the mixture is smooth and homogenized. Season with salt.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.

The Muhammara improves in flavor after a day or two in the refrigerator, which makes it a great dip to be served when entertaining; not all muhammara recipes are equally treated, after testing loads of muhammara recipes, I would dare to say that this is the masterpiece of all — an incredible flavor combination!

• Author:Hadia Zebib Khanafer, 
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Serving: 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 500 grams/ 1 lb 2 oz red bell pepper
• 200 grams / 7 oz. walnut halves
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 leveled teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, to keep it vegan, use vegan breadcrumbs
• Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes, to add more heat, optional
• 1 pomegranate, deseeded

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 °F /230°C and stem the red bell peppers, cut to quarters, seed and place  on a baking sheet. Roast for 15- 20 minutes or until partially blackened on the outside. Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately seal them with a lid for 10 minutes, so their steam is trapped. This will loosen the skin, making it easier to peel them.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat. Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes, just to bring out their earthy flavor. Leave them to cool down completely.
3. Heat up your oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil starts to shimmer, toss in the onion and cook until it goes soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse to considerably grind. Add the roasted peppers, breadcrumbs, cooked onion with its oil, cumin powder, coriander powder tahini red pepper flakes in the bowl of the food processor. Process until combined.
5. With the motor running, gradually add the pomegranate molasses and tahini until the mixture is smooth and homogenized.  The ingredients are tested perfectly, but you can still play a bit around, taste and adjust your seasoning, spiciness and acidity to suit your liking.
6. Spread the muhammara on a plate and garnish with pomegranate seeds. If you like more tartness like me, you can drizzle pomegranate molasses over the dish upon serving, sublime!

Another Red Pepper based  recipe worth learning about: Red Pepper Paste

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