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Muhammara is a Syrian dip made from roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs, pomegranate syrup, chili paste, olive oil, and cumin. The recipe originated in Aleppo and requires precise proportions for the correct texture. It is best made five days in advance to allow flavors to meld. Ingredients can be difficult to acquire, but substitutes can be used. The dip is garnished with olive oil, fresh herbs, and nuts and can be spread on pita bread or topped with pita chips.
Some of the most distinctive and enduring recipes come from the simplest yet unexpected ingredients. In the culinary realm of dips and spreads, this includes crushed chickpeas for hummus, lentils for dahl, and roasted red peppers for muhammara. This last dish, which originated in Syria many generations ago, is like the others in that it needs a precise blend of special seasonings to make it unique and delicious. What gives this dip its nutty, tart, sweet, and spicy demeanor is a medley of ingredients like lemon juice, chopped onion, breadcrumbs, pomegranate syrup, chopped walnuts, chili paste, olive oil, and maybe a little cumin.
According to a recipe for muhammara in the Culinary Institute of America’s Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, the city of Aleppo, Syria, is where this dish first appeared. The institute advises cooks to make the dip at least five days in advance before serving to allow the flavors to fully meld in the refrigerator. That doesn’t mean it won’t be delicious when made just before eating, though.
Acquiring the ingredients for this recipe can be difficult or easy, depending on where the cook lives. Most are standard food items, but not the red pepper paste and pomegranate molasses that give this dip its flavor. Chili paste is a fairly popular product, but it can be substituted for another spice builder such as jalapeno or crushed red pepper. if molasses cannot be purchased for muhammara, some chefs will make it themselves by mashing and stirring pomegranate chunks in boiling water with copious amounts of sugar until fully caramelized and thickened.
The process of making muhammara requires some precision. Exact proportions are needed for the correct final texture. For the CIA recipe mentioned above, about 700 g of red peppers will need about 1.5 oz. (about 43 g) walnuts, 2 oz. (about 60 ml) of lemon juice, 1 tbsp. (about 15 ml) of olive oil, 0.25 tsp. (about 1 g) or red pepper paste, 0.5 oz. (about 14 g) breadcrumbs, 1 oz. (about 28 g) of pomegranate molasses and 0.25 tsp. (about 0.5 g) of cumin. Some also add several sauteed chopped onions to the mix.
First, the nuts are roasted and crushed with a mortar and pestle. Then they are mixed with breadcrumbs. The peppers are roasted, then peeled, seeded, and blended with everything else into a thoroughly blended dip. After cooling, mahammara is regularly garnished with more olive oil, fresh herbs, more cumin, and perhaps a few whole nuts. Some spread it on pita bread or top it with pita chips.
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