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This easy hummus with spiced beef recipe makes hummus bil lahme, a delicious Arabic dish that originated in the Levantine cuisines of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, although it’s found right across the Middle East. Served as an appetiser with other mezze, pickles and pita bread, it can also be eaten as a side with salads and mixed grilled meats.
Our hummus with spiced beef recipe for hummus bil lahme will make you an addictively delicious hummus that’s drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with cumin powder, and topped with a generous layer of aromatic, richly-spiced ground beef and roasted pine nuts.
You can tuck into a plate of hummus bil lahme on its own, scooping it up with crispy homemade pita chips – which are a cinch to make in the oven from rounds of pita bread (recipe on previous link) – or serve with pickles and olives and an array of Arabic mezze or starters, such as baba ghanoush, labneh, muttabal, and muhammara.
Hummus bil lahme also makes a fantastic side dish to beef kofta, mixed grilled meats, roasted chicken, grilled lamb chops, Arabic sausages, and salads, such as fattoush and tabbouli, if you’re cooking up a Middle Eastern feast for a group of friends or family. And if you are, please send us an invitation!
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Now let me share this hummus with spiced beef recipe for hummus bil lahme.
Hummus with Spiced Beef Recipe for Hummus bil Lahme
Our hummus with spiced beef recipe for hummus bil lahme will make you an Arabic specialty with provenance in the Levant – the ancient region that encompasses Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan – although the dish is found right across the Middle East.
The funny thing is that before we moved to the Middle East, we’d tucked into scores of plates of this richly spiced mince meat at our café called Fez in Darlinghurst in Sydney – only it was ground lamb not ground beef, and it was served with toasted Turkish bread spread with extra virgin olive oil and za’atar.
For many years before we shifted to the United Arab Emirates so I could take up a faculty position teaching film at a women’s college in Abu Dhabi, we had a habit of going out on Saturday mornings for breakfast, brunch or lunch – depending on how late we got in the night before!
When we lived in Potts Point, we’d typically stroll along Macleay Street through Kings Cross to Darlinghurst and eat at one of our favourite cafés, which for a long time comprised a French café where we’d order Sydney’s finest eggs Benedict or Fez, a lovely light filled café-cum-casual restaurant with big glass windows.
Fez specialised in dishes from across the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa, and there was nothing we enjoyed more than discovering those flavours on a Saturday in the sunshine in Sydney, whether it was with strong espressos for breakfast or glasses of chilled Australian white wine for lunch.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Fez and that wonderful food was partly the reason we were so keen to explore the Middle East. Who hasn’t moved halfway around the world for food? It’s normal, right?
Just a few tips to making this hummus with spiced beef recipe for hummus bil lahme.
Tips to Making this Hummus with Spiced Beef Recipe for Hummus bil Lahme
I only have a few tips to making this hummus with spiced beef recipe for hummus bil lahme as it’s super easy and comes together quickly.
Start with the Hummus
Start with the hummus, which you can make ahead, as it keeps in the fridge in a well-sealed container for ages, not that our’s lasts long at all! Making the hummus is a breeze.
You’re going to drain the chickpeas, but keep the brine in case you need it, then transfer the canned chickpeas, garlic powder, extra virgin olive oil, tahini paste, ground cumin, and lemon juice to a food processor or blender and pulse until well-combined.
If it’s too thick, add a little chickpea brine, but you don’t want the hummus too creamy and smooth for dish. You want it to be a little more rustic, textured and dense so it can hold the spiced beef mince and it doesn’t sink. Refrigerate the hummus then blend all the spices together.
Make the Spice Blend
I usually make a bigger batch of the spice blend than our recipe calls. I blend the spices in a small jar with a lid, as I use this spice mix in other dishes.
The spice blend essentially makes a Lebanese seven spice mix or, if you prefer, an Arabic seven spice mix. It’s called baharat, which means seven in Arabic.
Prepare the Spiced Ground Beef
Next, prepare the spiced ground beef, which simply involves sautéing the onion in olive oil until fragrant and translucent, adding a little more oil, and frying the ground beef until just cooked. I then add a bit bit more oil and the spices and continuing to fry until I have a rich, deep, dark ground beef mixture.
Season, Plate and Serve
Lastly, adjust the spices and seasoning to suit your palate, add the pine nuts, plate the hummus, drizzling on a little extra virgin olive oil, and top with the spiced beef mince.
Sprinkle on some finely chopped parsley, and serve straight away with zingy pickles, fresh pita bread or homemade toasted pita chips (link at the top of the post), and a fresh crunchy salad such as fattoush.
Hummus with Spiced Beef Recipe – Hummus bil Lahme
Hummus with Spiced Ground Beef Recipe for Hummus bil Lahme
Author
Lara Dunston
This easy hummus with spiced ground beef recipe makes hummus bil lahme, a delicious Arabic dish that originated in the Levantine cuisines of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, although it’s found across the Middle East. Served as an appetiser with other mezze, pickles and pita bread, it can also be eaten as a side with salads and mixed grilled meats.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Appetiser, Side Dish
Cuisine Arabic, Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Servings made with recipeServings 1 Plate
Calories 2773 kcal
Ingredients
Hummus
- 400 g canned chickpeas
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Spicy Ground Beef
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion - finely diced
- 250 g ground beef
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
To Serve
- 1 tbsp roasted pine nuts
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
First make the hummus: drain the chickpeas, but keep the brine, and transfer the chickpeas, garlic powder, extra virgin olive oil, tahini paste, cumin, and lemon juice to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
Add some chickpea brine if necessary, however, you don’t want the hummus too creamy and smooth – as the hummus is a vehicle for the beef mince, it needs some density and texture. Keep the hummus in the fridge until needed.
In a small jar or container, blend all the spices together and set aside.
In a large pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, sauté the onion until fragrant and translucent, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the ground beef and fry until just cooked.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the spices and continue to fry the beef and onion until aromatic and the colour deepens and darkens. Add the pepper and salt, taste, and adjust the spices and seasoning if needed to suit your palate, then add the pine nuts, stir to combine and turn off the heat.
Spread the hummus thickly onto a large serving plate, drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil, top with the spiced ground beef, and sprinkle on the finely chopped parsley.
Serve immediately with pita bread or toasted pita chips, pickles and salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 2773kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 73gFat: 245gSaturated Fat: 45gPolyunsaturated Fat: 33gMonounsaturated Fat: 151gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 3675mgPotassium: 1884mgFiber: 25gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1501IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 351mgIron: 17mg
Please do let us know in the Comments below if you make our hummus with spiced beef recipe as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
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