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tasty Middle Eastern dish of lamb hummus kawarma
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5 from 1 vote

Kawarma (Hummus with Lamb)

Kawarma is a delicious version of the classic chickpea dip. Tender, spiced ground meat with a zesty lemon herb sauce top creamy warm hummus!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: appetizers
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Servings: 8
Author: Kevin

Ingredients

Lamb Mixture

  • 1 lb ground lamb (or ground beef)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp zaatar spice (See Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Lemon Herb Sauce

  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Cooking

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

  • Mix all of the Lamb Mixture ingredients in a bowl thoroughly by hand. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • In a small bowl mix together the Lemon Herb Sauce ingredients and set aside to marinate.
  • In a small pan lightly dry toast the pine nuts until golden brown and season with kosher salt. Set aside.

Cooking

  • Over medium-high heat in a large skillet or cast iron pan melt the butter and oil. Add the lamb meat mixture and brown, breaking up into small bits until cooked through, several minutes.

Serving

  • Using a large spoon scoop up some of the plain hummus and divide evenly over serving plates. Press down in center of hummus with spoon and rotate plate and spoon in opposite directions to swirl. Repeat with second hummus (Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus) if using, and top with cooked lamb mixture.
  • Spoon the lemon herb sauce on top and sprinkle the pine nuts and any reserved chickpeas (optional) for garnish. Serve with warm pita, pita chips or any Middle Eastern flatbread.

Video

Notes

  1. This recipe (as pictured) uses 2 different hummus. You can make this with just 4 cups of plain hummus or 2 cups plain and 2 cups cilantro jalapeno hummus. To the hummus recipe: remove half from food processor and reserve. Add 1 bunch cilantro and 2 jalapeños (seeded) and puree with remaining hummus. Use both in this recipe (plain and green).
  2. Za’atar is a wonderful Middle Eastern spice blend found in most markets these days. I have my own recipe version (Lebanese Za’atar Spice Blend) or you can substitute oregano leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 869mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 5mg