Muhammara is a savory Turkish red pepper and walnut dip flavored with pomegranate molasses and warm spices. Perfect for grilled meats or simple pita bread.
Better late than never, I made this muhammara a while ago as I was elbow high in softened butter and was craving something savory.
I am still salivating over Turkish flavors we experienced a few years ago and one of them was this gorgeous savory red pepper and walnut dip. One of our first meals in Turkey was a cold platter of mezzes, a few including various dips...some eggplant and some red pepper. I asked the waitress (in language barrier fashion) to simply explain what each dip was made of and I will never forget this one "pepper and walnut"..what a combination! I soaked every piece of roughly torn bread in it and vowed to make it at home.
Muhammara Ingredients are simple and flavorful.
The ingredients in muhammara are pretty simple, the the exception of pomegranate molasses that you may need to head to the store for unless you cook with it frequently.
Warm spices such as paprika and cumin, bright lemon zest, walnuts, breadcrumbs for texture and yes...pomegranate molasses. A necessity and the one ingredient that provides the perfect amount of pucker.
If you like this dish, try this flavorful loaded hummus or Turkish style eggplant dip without tahini!
Turkish Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhammara)
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2 roasted red peppers outer skin removed and cut into large chunks
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2-3 garlic cloves roasted
- ½ lemon zest and juice
- 1 Tb pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper or regular red pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼-1/2 cup olive oil depending on consistency
Garnish
- Pomegranate seeds
- lemon zest
- Fresh parsley or cilantro
- Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- If you haven't already, roast the red pepper and garlic cloves in a 400 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are soft. Cool for a few minutes and remove the outer skin from the peppers.
- In a blender or food processor, add the rest of the dip ingredients (except for garnish) and pulse a few times until it becomes thick and creamy, or to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.
- Once done, pour muhammara to a bowl and garnish with pomegranate seeds, lemon zest, chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Samantha Ferraro says
Hi Luisa! Sorry the recipe didn't work out, I will retest ASAP to make sure measurements are up to date. Happy to help trouble shoot, if you'd like! My initial thought is to decrease the breadcrumbs and/or increase roasted peppers.
Pretta J. says
So delicious. With a nice bowl of jasmine or basmati rice.... Yum!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
This looks soooo good! I'm totally craving all kinds of mediterranean food right now. And I totally love the color too!