Middle Eastern inspired chermoula lamb skewers with tabouli, hummus and pita – the perfect healthy meal in a bowl and a great way to cook barbecued lamb. Jump to Recipe
Beyond excited right now. Mainly because Dad is here for the weekend (!!!) – arriving in about an hour, to be exact, so pretty soon I will be getting in my little car and driving off to the airport to pick him up. Lots of eating (planning Chin Chin, Hammer and Tong, The Kettle Black… any other thoughts on best Melbourne eats??), wandering (or running, actually, knowing Dad), and hopefully a bit of shopping in there as well. An action packed 1.5 days in Melbourne, that I am sure of!
The other reason for my excitement is sharing this AMAZING recipe with you: say hello to these Middle-Eastern Chermoula Lamb Skewers with tabouli, homemade hummus and pita. The lamb is marinated in this blow-your-mind coriander-parsley-paprika-cumin-ginger-lemon-garlic Chermoula mixture, and then threaded onto skewers and chargrilled on the barbecue until medium-rare. Serve with this fresh and vibrant tabouli, smooth and creamy chickpea hummus, and warm crispy-edged pita breads fresh out of the oven. SO good.
Also: Mother’s Day is this Sunday! Unfortunately I won’t be with my Mum for this one, seeing as she will be in NZ and I will be here, but if I WERE home, I would make this dinner for her. So if you are looking for something special to do for your Mum, make this meal, and I promise you she will love you for it. Something a little bit special, a little bit different, and a lot full of flavour and love. Then follow up with dessert (maybe these make-ahead Chocolate Brownies or these night-before Passionfruit Pavlovas) to finish off your day. (To my Mum, if you are reading this: I will definitely be making this again for you when I am home in June!)
Back to the recipe though. How many of you out there have made your own hummus before? If you haven’t, you are missing out. Way, WAY better than the store-bought stuff. This is the quickest, easiest, healthiest, and best tasting hummus I have ever tried, and all you have to do is pop a few ingredients in a food processor, whiz it up, and BAM: you have your own batch of thick, smooth hummus to do with what you will. You can serve it on its own, with pita, bread or vegetable sticks or dipping, keep a batch in the fridge to smear on sandwiches, or with any meat you like. It can also be flavoured in many different ways: I personally prefer the classic lemony-garlic, perhaps with a little paprika and parsley, but you can easily add anything you like – chili flakes, coriander, sumac, za’atar, sun-dried tomatoes or roasted capsicum for a red swirl, roasted beetroot for a deep pink colour, spinach and feta…the list is endless!
So. Go ahead and make these Middle Eastern bowls of Chermoula Lamb Skewers, Tabouli, Hummus and Pita – it might require a quick trip to the supermarket, but its deliciousness will make your day, and your Mum’s too.
- 1-1.2 kg boneless lamb leg or shoulder (aim for ~200g per person), cut into roughly 2.5cm cubes
- 4 large cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 cup coriander , roughly chopped
- 1 cup flat leafed parsley leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tsp cumin seeds , toasted and ground
- 2 tsp coriander seeds , toasted and ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 12 -16 wooden skewers , soaked in water for 30 minutes before using (you may need more/less depending on how much meat is on each skewer)
- 175 g (1 cup) burghul wheat
- 2 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup tightly packed mint leaves , roughly chopped
- 4 spring onions , trimmed and very finely sliced
- 3 large vine tomatos , seeds removed and diced
- 100 ml lemon juice
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 x 400g can of chickpeas
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1 lemon
- freshly ground sea salt
- extra warm water
- paprika for sprinkling
- To serve:
- 6 x pita breads
- 1-2 x lebanese cucumbers , sliced diagonally (see photo)
- Chopped lettuce (I used butter lettuce in the photos but thin strips of iceberg lettuce work equally well)
- extra parsley and coriander leaves
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Place all of the ingredients, except for the lamb and skewers, in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour over the lamb and and make sure it is fully coated: marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Rinse the burghul under cold running water in a fine sieve. Transfer to a bowl, pour over the boiling water, and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
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In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked burghul, parsley, mint, spring onions and tomatoes. Separately whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil 1tsp of salt and a decent amount of ground black pepper. Pour over the burghal mixture and toss well.
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Pour the can of chickpeas into a micro-wave proof bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Drain through a sieve (no need to save the liquid).
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Place the warm chickpeas in a food processor with the tahini, olive oil, garlic, and the juice of half a lemon. Process, adding warm water until smooth and the consistency that you prefer (usually about 1/4-1/3 of a cup for me).
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Taste and season with salt and extra lemon juice. You can also adjust the amounts of tahini, garlic and olive oil to taste. Transfer to a small serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over a pinch of paprika.
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Thread the lamb pieces onto the skewers (see photo). Preheat a bbq grill plate to medium-hot, and grill the skewers for about 2 minutes on each side, or until browned on the outside but still medium-rare pink inside - do not overcook!
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Heat the pita breads in the oven for a few minutes until warm and becoming crispy at the edges.
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Serve the lamb skewers with the tabouli, hummus and pita, with the lettuce, cucumber and extra parsley and coriander leaves on the side.
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ENJOY!
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