Muhammara is an Arab paste or cream made from red pepper. It usually has other ingredients like walnuts and pomegranate. It is a dish of Arab origin and can be found, above all, in countries such as Syria (it comes from the city of Aleppo) and Lebanon.
This Syrian cream is a delicious option for snacking. You can enjoy it with pita bread, potatoes, meat or fish. If you prefer, you can also consume it alone as a spoon dish. As you can see, it has a variety of uses and accompaniments with very little effort. Prepare it together with and discover how to make muhammara!
Ingredients to make Muhammara:
• 2 units of red peppers
• 50 grams of shelled walnuts
• 30 grams of breadcrumbs
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 dessert spoon of pomegranate molasses
• 2 pinches of cumin, salt
• 2 pinches of Aleppo pepper or pul biber
• 1 splash of lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
How to do Muhammadan:
Preheat the oven to the maximum for 10 minutes with the heat on the top. Meanwhile, place the washed and whole peppers in a baking dish. When hot, put them at medium height and lower the temperature to 180 ºC. Turn them over so they don’t burn and make sure they finish roasting completely. The cooking will last about 45 minutes depending on each oven.
Remove the peppers and put them in a covered container or pot so that the skins come off easily. Remove the seeds. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl or chopper. Blend them until you get a thick puree. If you like a chunky texture, you can leave the cream half-ground. Serve your authentic muhammara and accompany it with whatever you like! In this case, we have used small durum wheat cakes called regañás.
Tip: If you like the taste of mint, you can decorate the cream with mint leaves when serving.
Muhammara – Variants and Suggestions
Muhammara is basically a sauce or cream of roasted peppers. Beyond its main ingredient, there are variations made from chickpeas, in which case it is called roasted pepper hummus or made from chestnuts (chestnut muhammara). Do not hesitate to try all its variations to choose the best one for your future events and celebrations.
This vegetable pâté is also very popular with vegans and vegetarians, as it contains no animal products. In addition, it is a very healthy alternative to dip and its ingredients are basic and easy to find. You can take advantage of pomegranate season to try this recipe!
