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Hummus with spiced lamb
حمص باللحمة (hummus bi lahmeh): smooth hummus topped with sizzling seven-spice lamb and golden pine nuts
In Beirut and across Lebanon, a plain bowl of hummus becomes a meal when the cook pours sizzling minced lamb and pine nuts over it straight from the pan. You find it on the mezze table at long Sunday lunches and in neighbourhood breakfast shops, eaten with warm bread, raw onion, mint and pickles. The contrast is the thing: cool, creamy chickpeas and hot, crisp-edged, spiced meat. Chef's tip: peel the warm chickpeas by rubbing them in a tea towel; it takes 5 minutes and makes the hummus really silky.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the hummus
For the lamb
To serve
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 2 tins tinned chickpeas in a pan of water for 5 minutes until very soft, then drain. Rub them in a clean tea towel to slip off as many skins as you can.
8 minStep 2: Blend the warm chickpeas with 3 ½ oz tahini, 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic and ½ tsp salt, adding ¼ cup ice-cold water a spoonful at a time, for 3–4 minutes until very smooth and fluffy. Spread over a wide plate, making a deep swirl in the middle.
4 minStep 3: Heat ⅔ oz butter or ghee and 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 oz pine nuts for 2 minutes until golden, then lift out with a slotted spoon.
2 minStep 4: Turn the heat up to high, add 9 oz lamb mince and spread it out. Leave it untouched for 2 minutes to brown, then break it up and fry for another 4–5 minutes with 1 tsp Lebanese seven spice (baharat) and ½ tsp salt until crisp at the edges and cooked through, with no pink left (160°F). A common mistake is stirring constantly: the lamb steams grey instead of browning.
7 minStep 5: Spoon the hot lamb and its fat into the hummus swirl, scatter with the pine nuts, ½ tsp sweet paprika and 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and finish with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Serve at once with warm bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hummus with spiced lamb take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of tinned chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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