Muhammara

Ingredients

Base

• 4large red peppers, about 700 g, or 3 tbsp Aleppo red pepper paste plus 3 fresh peppers
• 150 gwalnut halves, lightly toasted
• 60 gcoarse dry breadcrumbs, or 60 g fine bulgur soaked 15 min and squeezed

Seasoning

• 2 tbsppomegranate molasses (dibs rumman), plus more to finish
• 1 tbspAleppo pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1garlic clove, crushed with salt
• 1 tspground cumin
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tspsalt
• 80 mlolive oil, plus more to serve

To serve

• 1 tbspwalnut pieces
• a pinch of Aleppo pepper
• olive oil, poured over
• warm flatbread

Directions

1. Roast the whole peppers directly over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning every few minutes, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened all over.
2. Seal them in a bowl under a plate for 15 minutes; the steam loosens the skins.
3. Peel, deseed and, crucially, drain the peppers in a sieve for 15 minutes. Wet peppers give a watery muhammara that never thickens.
4. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 minutes until they smell nutty, then cool. Toasting deepens the flavour but burnt walnuts turn the whole dip bitter.
5. Traditionally everything now goes into a mortar: pound the walnuts with the garlic and salt to a coarse rubble, then work in the peppers a piece at a time.
6. Add the breadcrumbs or squeezed bulgur, the pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, cumin and lemon, and keep working until you have a thick, rough-textured paste that holds the mark of the pestle.
7. Beat in the olive oil in a thin stream so the dip becomes glossy and slightly lighter in colour.
8. Taste and adjust: it should be sweet from the peppers, sour from the molasses, gently hot and clearly nutty, in that order. Add molasses for sourness, not more lemon.
9. Rest at least an hour at room temperature for the flavours to settle, and make it the day before if you can.
10. Spread in a shallow bowl, hollow the centre with the back of a spoon, pour olive oil into the well, scatter walnuts and Aleppo pepper, and serve at room temperature with warm bread.

Technique

• Muhammara is Aleppan, and the two ingredients that make it so are Aleppo pepper and pomegranate molasses. Without dibs rumman it is simply a pepper and walnut dip.
• Texture is part of the identity. A food processor will do it, but pulse in short bursts and stop while it is still coarse; a smooth purée reads as hummus made with peppers.
• The dip thickens as it stands, so make it slightly looser than you want and check the seasoning again once it has rested.

Substitutions

• Jarred roasted peppers can replace fresh ones: use 400 g, drained very well and patted dry.
• No pomegranate molasses: reduce 200 ml unsweetened pomegranate juice with 1 tsp lemon juice to a syrup, about 3 tbsp.
• Fine bulgur in place of breadcrumbs is the older Aleppan method and gives a slightly chewier body.

Variations

• Muhammara with a pinch of ground caraway, common in Homs.
• A hotter Aleppan version made with double the pepper flakes and no lemon.
• Muhammara thinned with extra oil and used as a sauce for grilled vegetables and kebabs.

History

Aleppo dip of red pepper, walnut and pomegranate molasses, named for its deep red colour.

Frequently asked questions

What is Muhammara?

Muhammara is a salad & side from Syria: aleppan dip of red pepper, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. Aleppo dip of red pepper, walnut and pomegranate molasses, named for its deep red colour.

How long does Muhammara take to make?

Muhammara takes 20 min of preparation and 40 min roasting of cooking. The recipe makes 4 to 6 servings as mezze. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Muhammara?

Yes, within limits. Jarred roasted peppers can replace fresh ones: use 400 g, drained very well and patted dry. No pomegranate molasses: reduce 200 ml unsweetened pomegranate juice with 1 tsp lemon juice to a syrup, about 3 tbsp. Fine bulgur in place of breadcrumbs is the older Aleppan method and gives a slightly chewier body.

What is the most important thing to get right in Muhammara?

Roast the whole peppers directly over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning every few minutes, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened all over.