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Lebanon, Middle East and Africa · Hummus

Hummus bil Lahme with Spiced Beef and Pine Nuts

Restaurant-style Lebanese hummus from dried chickpeas cooked until meltingly soft, topped with spiced beef and butter-toasted pine nuts.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 2 min
Soaking the chickpeas+ 12 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsYou need at least 2 servings so the ingredients reach the blades. For 1 serving, use a stick blender and a narrow cup, or make 2 servings of hummus and refrigerate the rest (3 days).

Method

  1. The night before, rinse the chickpeas and soak them for 12 hours in three times their volume of water with half the bicarbonate of soda. They will more than double in size.

    Add in this stepDried chickpeas 100 gBicarbonate of soda (half for soaking, half for cooking) ¼ tsp

  2. Rinse the soaked chickpeas and put them in a 18 cm pot with water to cover by 5 cm and the rest of the bicarbonate. Bring to the boil over high heat, skim off the foam, turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for . They are ready when they squash with no resistance between your fingers and the skins float. Drain and pick out as many loose skins as you can.

    Add in this stepBicarbonate of soda (half for soaking, half for cooking) ¼ tsp

    high heat→medium-low heat

  3. While the chickpeas are still hot, blend the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor for until pale and thick.

    Add in this stepTahini (sesame paste) 3 tbspLemon juice 2 tbspGarlic (cloves) 1Salt (for the hummus) ½ tsp

  4. Add the warm chickpeas and cumin and blend for , adding 3 tbsp of ice water little by little. Scrape down the sides once. It is done when it slides softly off a spoon like a mousse.

    Add in this stepGround cumin 1 pinchIce water 3 tbsp

  5. Melt half the butter in a 18 cm frying pan over medium-low heat, add the pine nuts and stir constantly for . As soon as they turn light golden, tip them onto a plate. Pine nuts burn in seconds, so do not walk away.

    Add in this stepButter 5 gPine nuts 15 g

    medium-low heat

  6. Add the remaining butter and the beef to the same pan, turn up to medium-high heat and cook for , breaking it into small pieces with a spatula. Season with the baharat and salt and cook until the edges are brown and crisp.

    Add in this stepMinced beef (or minced lamb) 100 gBaharat (Middle Eastern spice mix) ½ tspSalt (for the meat) 1 pinchButter 5 g

    medium-high heat

  7. Spread the hummus on a plate and make a swirl with the back of a spoon. Pile the meat and its buttery juices in the centre, scatter over the pine nuts, parsley and sumac, drizzle with olive oil and serve with warm pita.

    Add in this stepChopped parsley 1 tbspSumac (or paprika) 1 pinchExtra virgin olive oil (to finish) to tastePita bread (warmed) 2

Cook's tip

The bicarbonate dissolves the skins, so there is no need to peel by hand. Overcooked chickpeas make far silkier hummus than undercooked ones. Keep some cooking liquid: it can replace ice water if the hummus gets too thick.

Cooking it at camp

Make the hummus at home and carry it in an airtight container. On site, all you need is a burner and a small pan to toast the pine nuts and fry the meat. Warm the pita on a grill or in the pan.