The lamb is meant to be somewhat chewy and tangy with the lemon juice and sumac, making an extraordinarily delicious meal out of your hummus plate. Serve with pita bread.
1/2cupchopped herbs such as mint, cilantro, parsley, for garnish
Instructions
To make the hummus, in the bowl of the food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic clove. Stop and scrape down the bowl as you go, processing for several minutes until everything is completely pureed. This mixture may be very thick and ball up in the processor, depending how much liquid may be left in the cooked or drained canned chickpeas.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Process, taste, and add more salt or lemon juice to adjust texture and taste as needed.
To make the lamb, cut the lamb shoulder into 1-inch pieces, cutting away excess fat and gristle.
In a medium bowl, combine the lamb with the lemon juice, minced or grated garlic, salt, and one tablespoon of the sumac. Stir well and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Drain the meat and pat it lightly with a paper towel to dry it off so that the meat will brown properly.
Add the meat to the pan and sauté over high heat until the meat is completely browned and caramelized, 5-10 minutes. Season with the remaining tablespoon of sumac and cinnamon. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.
Spoon the hummus onto 6 plates and make a well in the center of each with the back of a spoon. Place a spoonful of the lamb on top of each plate, and garnish with pine nuts, herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Substitutions
To make this dish ahead, store the hummus in an airtight container for up to one week. Bring the hummus to room temperature before serving. Give the hummus a good stir and add a little liquid (lemon juice or water) to smooth it out if necessary. To make the lamb ahead, cook it all the way through to caramelize and season it. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Reheat the lamb on the stovetop in a sauté pan. Don’t plate the hummus until just before serving, because it can form a skin and dry out on top.To make this dish vegetarian, substitute mushrooms or red bell pepper for the lamb. Cut the vegetables in 2-inch pieces rather than 1-inch pieces so they don’t shrink too small when cooking.It’s true that this dish can be made with hummus of any sort: the coarser textured, the store bought; just be sure it is plain hummus so the kawarma can stand out. The hummus I’ve been making with pre-peeled chickpeas is so smooth and has such amazing texture, body and flavor that I can’t help but feel as though we, as a world of hummus eaters (of which there are ever so many), have not properly known hummus until we’ve eaten it like this. When you have hummus that is so good you can’t stop reaching for another spoonful, can’t stop thinking of it as snack, condiment, and basic food group, then it’s only a matter of time before it busts out of the world of dips and becomes much, much more.Substitute lamb shoulder with an equally chew cut of beef, such as beef stew meat, to get great kawarma-style texture with beefy flavor. Substitute ground lamb or ground beef for the lamb shoulder. Follow the recipe as is, simply skipping the step of cutting the meat. While that will be really so very delicious, it won’t be a perfect textural balance. And who doesn’t love perfect?Finish the dish with a variety of garnishes, including fresh mint, flat-leaf parsley, pomegranate seeds, oregano leaves, or ground black pepper. Give the kawarma some heat by adding a chopped green chili either fresh or sauteed with the lamb. Don't have sumac? This spice offers acidity like citrus juice. We already have lemon in the recipe, so a fine substitution for the sumac would be a teaspoon of white wine vinegar.