Recipe: Mouhamara

Mouhamara is a persian sauce of red peppers, ground walnuts, and pomegranate molasses. At restaurants, I've had a couple variations on it, including a thinner one in which a chicken breast was cooked. Scott and I learned of it from our friend Rania in undergrad; her mother made far and away the best persian food I've ever had including baked and raw kibbe. I make tabbouleh by her recipe quite often (heavy on both mint and lemon).

Mouhamara

Ingredients

All amounts are quite variable, these are just a rough guide.

• 2–4 red peppers, raw or roasted/peeled
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
• ¾ cup walnuts, chopped fine
• ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Juice of at least half a lemon
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper paste (mix powder with water before adding)

Method

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. Add some water for a thinner consistency.