Levantine cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Hummus bi Lahme

Creamy chickpea purée with fried ground lamb, toasted pine nuts, and warm spiced butter.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 400 g chickpeas (soaked overnight)
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2 lemons
• 3 cloves garlic
• 300 g ground lamb
• 1 onion
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 tsp baharat (seven-spice blend)
• 30 g butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Drain the overnight-soaked chickpeas and cook in fresh, unsalted water for 60–70 min, until soft enough to mash between your fingers; set aside a few whole chickpeas.
2. Blend the hot chickpeas with tahini, the juice of both lemons, the garlic, salt, and 4–6 tbsp cooking water in a blender for 3 min into a very smooth, pale purée.
3. Toast the pine nuts in the butter over medium heat for 2–3 min until golden brown and remove immediately, as they darken quickly.
4. Fry the finely diced onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 min until translucent, add the ground lamb, and fry crumbly for 8–10 min, until well browned.
5. Season the meat with baharat, salt, and pepper and fry for another 2 min, so the spices bond with the frying fat.
6. Spread the hummus onto a shallow plate, press in a well, add the meat, pine nuts, whole chickpeas, and butter, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and serve warm.