KABAB HOMMUS
QATAR | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“Kabab” immediately conjures up grilled meat or Syrian meatballs, so when a Qatari friend was telling me about kabab hommus being essential Iftar food, I wondered how you could grill chickpeas (hommus in Arabic). She then explained them to me and I asked my friend Aisha al-Tamimi, Qatar’s foremost celebrity TV chef, to show me how to make them. They are basically fritters made with chickpea flour and with pureed tomatoes for a more intense flavor, not to mention the herbs and seasonings. They are simple and quick to make, and scrumptious for Iftar or any other time.
SERVES 6
FOR THE TAMARIND SAUCE
⅓ cup (60 g) seedless tamarind paste
1 small green chili, thinly sliced
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
FOR THE FRITTERS
2 cups (250 g) chickpea flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground fennel
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon dried mint
1 organic egg
4 scallions, thinly sliced
½ inch (1 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and minced to a fine paste
1 green chili, thinly sliced
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
½ bunch cilantro (3½ ounces/100 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
2 or 3 sprigs fresh dill, bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1 cup (50 g) chopped chives or fresh green garlic
4 large tomatoes (1¾ pounds/800 g total), pureed
Sea salt
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1. To make the tamarind sauce: Put the tamarind paste in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 cup (250 ml) water and whisk until the paste is completely dissolved. Stir in the chili, mint, and vinegar.
2. To prepare the fritters: Mix together the chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground spices, pepper flakes, dried mint, the egg, scallions, ginger, chili, fresh herbs, pureed tomatoes, and salt to taste, to make the batter. If the batter is too thick, add a little water.
3. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) of oil into a deep skillet and heat over medium heat until hot (if you drop a piece of bread in the oil, the oil should immediately bubble around it). Use a large ice cream scoop or ¼-cup (60 ml) measure to drop the batter into the hot oil. Drop as many as will fit comfortably and fry until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the rack to let the excess oil drain off. Serve hot with the tamarind sauce.