Muhammara

I love the usual Middle Eastern Mezze or dips like Babaganoush, Hummus and Chacik until I was introduced to Muhammara another kind of dip made using ingredients like red capsicum, walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

Instantly I fell in love with Muhammara. The taste is a bit sourish depending on how much lemon juice is added. The texture of the dip varies – depending on how fine you process the walnuts. As for me I prefer it with a bit of crunchy texture.
I made Muhammara a few times at home after getting the recipe from a Moroccan chef who, in addition gave me a jar of pomegranate molasses.
It is not only a healthy dish but a very delicious one too. You can eat it with Arabic bread or tortilla.
Here is the recipe if you would like to try making it at home.

MUHAMMARA:
2 large red bell peppers (remove seeds, roasted and loosen skins)
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
3/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (2 pieces of white bread toasted and ground)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and ground
2 tbls lemon juice
2 tsp pomegranate molasses (make your own if you can't find it in the supermarket)
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
4 tbls olive oil

Combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, onion and garlic. Process in a food processor till finely ground.
Add the bell peppers, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, cayenne pepper, chilli flakes and salt. Blend again while drizzling the olive oil till mixture is creamy.

Pomegranate Molasses
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Cook all ingredients in a small pot till sugar dissolved. Once dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low till mixture reduced to 1 cup, approx 70 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Can keep in a glass jar for 6 months.