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Muhammara (capsicum dip)

Name: Muhammara (capsicum dip) recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 red capsicums, seeds removed; 250ml olive oil; 200g kaak (Arabic sesame seed bread), crumbled, plus extra kaak or flatbread to serve; 100g walnuts, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish; 20.00 ml baharat (Arabic mixed spice); 40.00 ml black sesame seeds; Juice of 1/2 lemon; Sumac, to serve

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by Nayran Tabiei

CHEF

Jul 05, 2022

“Muhammara, literally meaning ‘reddened’ in Arabic, is a classic Middle Eastern dip. It has a lovely texture thanks to the walnuts and the addition of a hard Syrian bread stick called kaak adds a creaminess. If you can’t find kaak, any stale bread topped with sesame seeds will be a fine substitute.”

4 red capsicums, seeds removed
1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
200g kaak (Arabic sesame seed bread), crumbled, plus extra kaak or flatbread to serve
100g walnuts, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
1 tbs baharat (Arabic mixed spice)
2 tbs black sesame seeds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sumac, to serve

Method

1.

Grate capsicum on a box grater, then place in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil and the crumbled kaak. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring constantly to avoid sticking, for 10 minutes or until the bread has softened.
2.

Once the kaak has softened, add remaining olive oil, a little at a time, until all of it has been used. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the dip is thick and all of the excess water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and add the walnuts, baharat, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Stir to combine and season to taste. Cool completely, then transfer to a serving plate and top with sumac and extra walnuts.
3.

Drizzle with extra olive oil to serve. (Store dip in the fridge before serving, just cover with olive oil to avoid it drying out.)