Hummus topped with an aromatic lamb mince is a traditional dish from the Middle East. Whether as a starter or a small meal, this is a show stopper hummus. If you haven’t tried this before, you’re in for a real treat!
Hummus with Lamb (Hummus B’lahmeh) is one of my favourite Middle Eastern starters. The combination of creamy hummus with the fragrant lamb and the crunch of pine nuts scooped up with fresh pita bread will change your view forever about the humble hummus.
There are many versions of this dish across the Middle East. Yotam Ottolenghi’s version from Jerusalem: A Cookbook is made using lamb neck which is finely chopped and marinated in spices before frying. I’ve had this at restaurants scattered with pomegranates, with the addition of tabbouleh and with the mince spiced up with a hit of chilli.
My first memory of Hummus with Lamb was in a local joint in Sharjah, a lessor known city in the United Arab Emirates. During my days in “corporate”, I was often sent to Dubai where my company had an office. Though only an hour from Dubai, Sharjah couldn’t be more different. Dubai dazzles with it’s giant malls, towering shiny skyscrapers, 6 star hotels, islands shaped like palm trees, fancy restaurants, expensive clubs, and indoor ski slopes. Sharjah, the 3rd largest city in the UAE, doesn’t have the dazzle and glitz of Dubai and most expats living in Dubai have never set foot in Sharjah. But it’s got the culture – the real culture of the Emirates. No booze, no posh restaurants, no 6 star hotels. And of course, the best real local food – for pennies.
How to find the best food in a non touristy area? There’s no Lonely Planet guide for dining in Sharjah. There are no tourist maps. So I did what any determined foodie traveller does – I followed the lunchtime crowd to a buzzing backstreet local joint.
I couldn’t read the menu and I couldn’t converse with the waitresses, so I ordered by pointing at dishes another patron was eating. Have you ever done that? Embarrassing – sure. But somehow I doubt I’ll ever cross paths with anyone in that joint again. And boy was it worth it!
Hummus with Lamb is one of the dishes I pointed at that I got served up – I think it cost me all of $0.70. And after the first bite, I never looked at hummus the same again.
I truly hope you give this a try. Though I love Yotam Ottolenghi’s version, it is quite complicated to make so I’ve made a version which is very easy to make. But I use the same spice mix he uses for his recipe so the fragrance of the lamb is the same. Also, real hummus is made starting with dried chickpeas. I’ve made this simple by using canned chickpeas.
Love to hear what you think if you try it!
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Hummus with Lamb
Ingredients
Spiced Lamb
- 8 oz / 250 g ground lamb (mince)
- 1/2 brown onion , finely diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Hummus
- 15 oz / 400 g tin chickpeas , drained
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 garlic clove
- Juice of ½ a small lemon
- 2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Garnishes
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Instructions
- Place a pan over medium high heat. Add pine nuts and toast until golden. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.
Lamb mince
- Return pan to stove (still on medium high heat) and add olive oil.
- Add onion and cook until translucent (2 minutes). Then turn up the heat to high, add mince, spices and salt. Cook, breaking up the mince into small pieces, until browned and cooked through (3 minutes).
- Set aside and cover so it doesn't dry out. Bring it to room temperature.
Hummus
- Place all ingredients except salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- Taste before adding salt and pepper. Different brands of chick peas have different levels of saltiness. Also adjust acidity with lemon juice, if required.
- Use water to adjust the consistency to a tomato sauce (ketchup) like consistency. This consistency is "proper" hummus. In the Middle East, hummus is not the thick consistency that is typical of store bought hummus in Western countries, it is thinner.
Assemble
- Spread hummus on a plate, using the back of a spoon to create "swirls".
- Top with lamb mince, scatter over the pine nuts and sprinkle with parsley. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve with pita bread.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
I made this for my family and it was a big thumbs up from us all. As my son is a vegan I also made a version for him – I used your spice mix for lamb, added a little extra oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Mix this together and then crumble in some extra firm tofu. Mix it all together then spread the tofu out onto a baking sheet and bake at 180c for about 25 minutes, turning once or twice. You end up with little tofu crumbles that taste the same as the lamb (well similar!). Then stir in the fried onion. Voila! veganised ‘lamb’ with hummus
Sounds great Mary!!
Hi Nagi, I’ve been quietly enjoying reading and cooking your recipes for 2-3 years- thank you!
Your houmous looks very smooth. It tends to be grainy when I make it (like shopbought :-l) unless I peel the cooked chickpeas, which is no fun…
What are your thoughts on the peeling requirement?
Hi Dom, I don’t bother to be honest, I can’t justify the time peeling! It could also be the food processor that you’re using. I personally don’t my hummus with a little texture to it ☺️
Hmm, my processor is cheap, maybe time to invest in a big monster one. Thank u 🙂
Loved it.great lunch tweeked it with lemon juice and pomegranate seeds. Planning it when friends and family visit. Thank you
Wahoo, great!
This sounds wonderful. Could you make the lamb mix the day before or do you think it would be too dry?
It works great! Lamb is a nice juicy meat so just reheat in the microwave 🙂 N x
This was delicious, but I want to add that the original recipe added some additional ingredients to the lamb, which would have totally changed the taste. His recipe adds chopped canned tomatoes and a sizable amount of harissa among other things. I was making yours from my tablet. Yet I also found the other recipe in my collection. Not realizing they were different, I made my own harissa. Looking at my tablet, I couldn’t figure out why I made the harissa! I’m not sure why you omitted the other ingredients unless it was for publishing reasons.
Hi Alene! Yes you are correct, this is a simpler version inspired by Yotam 🙂 N x
Now that I have a small container with homemade harissa, ground chilis and all, I’m going to try the original recipe. If it’s too much work, then your version wins! I thought it was delicious, and my husband did too.
Thank you!!
I loved it but unfortunately my twelve year old daughter gave it the thumbs down . She said it was all chickpea and no tahini . 🙄
🤣
I have eaten this in a fabulous Syrian restaurant here in Montreal and am so thrilled to try your version ! I love it! Thank you for another winner ?
OMG it’s SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD! 🙂
Hi, I thought this recipe was really great! Thankyou.
Would you mind if I put a link to this recipe on my Kiwi Cheapskate Blog?
Cheers
Cara
So glad you enjoyed it Cara! Yes, feel free to link!
Thanks Nagi. I’ll be investigating your blog further when I have time, that’s for sure!
Another winner! I have made this 3 times in the last couple of weeks. It is so delish! I love these wonderful recipes with easy to find ingredients. I am addicted to your site and goes without saying your gorgeous pictures. 🙂
YAY!! I’m so glad you loved it! Actually, I’m so glad someone is MAKING this! It’s such an early recipe, it kinda got lost in the depths. 🙂 I LOVE this on so many levels. Thank you for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it!! N x
If I used dried chickpeas would that make a huge difference?
Hi Mette! It will be BETTER. Dried chick peas is the authentic way of making it. Just soak them then boil (follow the packet instructions) to rehydrate them, and then follow the recipe. 🙂
My husband loved the lamb (I’m vegetarian) and this was the best hummus recipe I have ever made. I’ve always used the same ingredients but here the proportions are perfect!
Gwen, I am so thrilled to get this message from you! This is a huge personal favourite of mine, I adore it. The spiced lamb is just a KILLER combination with the creamy hummus! I ate such a ridiculous amount of this when I was in the Middle East! 🙂
This was really delicious, and unlike anything I’d made before. The textures and flavours were great and it was fun to eat.
I’m glad you enjoyed it Lauren! More effort than the usual hummus, but so worth it, isn’t it??!!
This looks terrific!
Thanks Dawna! This really is absolutely delicious, I can’t get enough of it!
Another amazing dish Nagi 🙂 … When we are in a Lebanese restaurant I order this dish as a main course, since it’s filling and delicious. We make Hummus at home, and you are right, it taste much better than store bought!
I know! Ever since I first made hummus at the tender age of 20 (oh so many years ago….) I’ve never bought it again, it’s just so easy!
I never made hummus at home, but your recipe and instructions are awesome and inspire me to try it! You have a beautiful blog and I love your photography!
Never made hummus at home? Promise me you’ll try it! It is the world’s easiest dip to make, and freshly made (even with tinned chickpeas) is 1000x better than store bought. It’s so creamy and just incredibly fresh tasting!!