Muhammara Recipe (Red Pepper Walnut Dip)

Muhammara, the fantastic middle-eastern red pepper dip, cannot miss on any meze plate. The dish is just amazing: The sweetness of charred peppers, a delicious tang from fresh lemon juice, sumac and pomegranate molasses, and texture from walnuts and breadcrumbs, make a fantastic dip I cannot get enough of. Nothing better than muhammara together with some crispy pita bread on a sunny day! But even if the sun isn’t shining, its tangy sweet flavours will brighten your day. So, let me show you my interpretation of this delicious Levantine spread with this delicious muhammara recipe.

What is Muhammara?

Muhammara, sometimes called muhamara, is a walnut and red pepper-based dip. The dish originated from Aleppo in Syria but quickly became a classic around the Levante. It also enjoys growing popularity in the west, making it one of the more popular middle-eastern dips next to hummus and baba ganoush. And that is for a good reason: It’s delicious!

Ingredients for this Muhammara Recipe

• Sweet peppers
• Walnuts
• Breadcrumbs
• Pomegranate molasses
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Cumin
• Aleppo pepper / chilli
• Maple juice
• Salt
• Optional: sumac

I like to make muhammara using sweet peppers. They contribute a delicious natural sweetness and flavour to the dish. Next, we need walnuts for that nutty flavour and consistency of the dip. Additionally, breadcrumbs are important for getting the desired consistency. If you like to make the muhammara recipe gluten-free, you can swap out the breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version.

For its delicious tang, you will need sumac, a commonly used spiced in Levantine cooking, pomegranate molasses, and lemon juice. I would say sumac is an optional ingredient if making muhammara, and you can omit it and use a bit more pomegranate molasses and lemon juice, but I personally enjoy the flavour it adds. Furthermore, you will need extra virgin olive oil, cumin, and salt. Traditionally, Aleppo pepper is used to make muhammara, but I am simply going with chilli flakes today. Also, a little untraditional spin I like to add to my muhammara is a sip of maple juice. I find that some additional sweetness works fantastic for this muhammara recipe!

Muhammara Recipe

Roasting the peppers

Firstly, we want to develop delicious sweetness in our peppers by roasting them. You can leave the peppers either whole or slice them in half for this step. Roast them in your oven at 250° or on a barbeque grill. Using a barbeque grill can introduce some interesting smokey notes. Once nicely charred, transfer them to a bowl and cover them to steam for 10 more minutes. This will make it easier to remove the skin of the peppers. Remove the skin, be careful not to burn yourself, and discard the stems and seeds.

Blending Everything:

Add the roasted peppers together will the other ingredients to your blender. Blend until reaching the desired consistency. I like some texture to remain for this muhammara recipe. Check and adjust the seasoning, and you are good to go!

How to Plate Muhammara

I like to add the muhammara to a bowl and spread it out using a spoon. I then like to make some space for a generous sip of olive oil by going in circles with the spoon. Furthermore, I am adding a spoonful of pomegranate molasses to the centre of the bowl, some more walnuts and a bit of fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley.

You can now enjoy the muhammara! I like to eat it with some warm, nice flatbread or pitta. Also, it makes a delicious part of a meze, where you can serve it with dishes such as hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, and much more!

Will this Muhammara Recipe keep?

I like to eat the muhammara as fresh as possible, and most of the time, there is nothing left to store! But if you transfer it to an air-tight container, it should keep in the fridge for at least 3 days.

Some more Recipe Inspirations:

Do you like these Levantine dishes? Make sure to give these here a look as well!

• Harak Osbao is just so beautiful and delicious!
• Ever tried making a spread out of fava beans? This fava bean spread gives hummus a run for its money!
• This refreshing tabbouleh can’t miss on a meze plate!
• Tasty baba ganoush is a classic for a reason.
• A simple and smooth hummus is sometimes all you need