Muhammara
An Aleppo dip built around an acid nothing quite replaces: pomegranate molasses, thick, dark and sour-sweet at once. The rest is roasted pepper and walnuts, but the texture is what matters: muhammara is at its best coarse. Blended smooth it loses what makes it interesting and turns into an ordinary red sauce.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Roasting the peppers 40 min
- Toasting the walnuts 8 min
- The dip 10 min
- Chilling 20 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneRoast the peppers black
Roast the peppers at 230°C for 30 minutes, turning, until the skins blacken and lift from the flesh. Transfer to a bowl, cover for 10 minutes and peel. The flesh should be soft and lightly charred — the source of the dip's smoky note.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red peppers · 150 g walnuts · 40 g breadcrumbs · 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 4 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Black, blistered skin — it then peels off in sheets.Toast the walnuts and cool them
Toast the walnuts for 8 minutes at 180°C, until fragrant, and cool them completely. Toasting removes their raw bitterness and brings out the oils; warm walnuts would grind to an oily paste instead of staying in pieces.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red peppers · 150 g walnuts · 40 g breadcrumbs · 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 4 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Toast them, but cool before grinding.Drain the peppers thoroughly
Remove the seeds and drain the peppers in a sieve for 5 minutes, discarding the water. Excess liquid thins the dip, and you would then have to add more breadcrumbs, which would take over the flavour.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red peppers · 150 g walnuts · 40 g breadcrumbs · 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 4 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Pulse, do not blend smooth
Pulse the pepper, walnuts, garlic, breadcrumbs and spices in short bursts, 5 or 6 times. The dip should stay coarse, with visible pieces of walnut — that is its texture, not a shortcoming.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red peppers · 150 g walnuts · 40 g breadcrumbs · 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 4 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Short pulses — the walnut pieces should stay visible.Stir in the molasses and oil by hand
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the pomegranate molasses, olive oil and lemon juice with a spoon. By hand, because more processing would break the texture. Taste and season: muhammara should be sour, sweet and mildly hot all at once.
Ingredients: 4 pcs red peppers · 150 g walnuts · 40 g breadcrumbs · 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses · 4 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt
Chill and finish with pomegranate
Chill 20 minutes so the flavours settle. Spread on a flat plate, make a hollow with a spoon, pour in the olive oil and scatter with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. Serve with pita. The seeds give juicy, tart bursts and crunch — the classic finish.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil · 50 g pomegranate seeds · 8 pcs mint · 4 pcs pita bread
Before you start
Pomegranate molasses has no equal
Middle Eastern grocers and world food aisles stock it. At a pinch: reduce about 200 ml of pomegranate juice with a teaspoon of sugar to 3 tablespoons of thick syrup. Balsamic gives a different profile — sweeter and less fruity.
Aleppo pepper
Aleppo flakes (similar to Turkish pul biber) are mild and fruity, quite unlike hot chilli. Without them, mix half a teaspoon of smoked paprika with a quarter teaspoon of ordinary chilli — the closest approximation.
Five days in the fridge
Muhammara improves over the first two days as the molasses and pepper flavours merge. It keeps five days in the fridge, in a closed container under a layer of oil. Take it out half an hour before serving — straight from the fridge its flavour is muted.