Vegan Lebanese style hummus

A creamy homemade hummus topped with a spiced tempeh mince. The perfect appetizer or grab some pitta breads and eat the whole bowl as a meal!

As a vegan I am a full time hummus lover and feel that it is fantastic as it comes however jazzed up hummus is always a winner and there is no limits to the ways you can improve hummus. Flavoured hummus and hummus with a drizzle of olive oil are fantastic but hummus with toppings is where its at! I also think that topping hummus with something and mopping it up with fresh flatbreads makes up a whole meal for me! This dish is inspired by the Lebanese dish of hummus topped with ground beef- a wonderful dish of smooth hummus topped with a spiced mince, pine nuts and olive oil drizzle. However we are of course veganising it and Tempeh is perfect for our ‘ground beef’. This recipe includes making your own hummus then blitzing the tempeh up into a fine mince, cooking in spices and marrying them both to make the most amazing appetizer or main meal in my case! So grab yourself some flatbreads and whip up this Lebanese style dip.

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Ingredients and substitutes-

• Chickpeas- I use pre cooked chickpeas, I like the ones in a jar bold bean are my favourite. Or you can soak and cook dried chickpeas just be sure they are fully cold before using.

• Tahini- Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds- a middle eastern staple that is full of good fats. I recommend middle eastern brands of tahini due to the runny consistency, some of the supermarket own brands are not runny and glossy enough which can really alter the texture. I have heard of people using cashew or almond butter in place of tahini which would be great for sesame allergies but I haven’t tried this out myself.

• Tempeh- Tempeh works really well as the ‘meat’ in this dish as it holds structure when cooked, it soaks up seasonings really well. Just food process to the until the size crumb you like is achieved. If Tempeh isn’t your thing or you cant source it then feel free to use a vegan mince instead.

• Dry seasonings- This dish can be seasoned as you please but I recommend this spice blend for a Lebanese style ‘meat’.

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Top Tips!

Homemade hummus-

This recipe includes how to make your own hummus but of course you can use store bought hummus if you like. If you are in the UK I recommend Ramonas brand in Tesco/Sainsburys.

Hummus texture-

To achieve a super smooth hummus it is worth removing the chickpea skins. This is a tedious job but essential if you want a super smooth hummus. Add the chickpeas to a bowl of cold water and rub them between your hands gently to remove the skins and discard them. Skip this step if you don’t mind a rougher hummus.

And now for the recipe!

Lebanese style spiced tempeh on creamy hummus

Serves- 2 Time- 15 minutes

Ingredients-

For the hummus:

• 1 400g tin chickpeas

• 120g tahini

• 1 garlic clove

• 5 ice cubes

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cumin

• 100g tempeh

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp coriander  

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp All spice

Method-

1. Firstly to prep the ‘meat’ cut your tempeh into chunks and put in the food processor until it reaches a crumb. Set this aside for later.

2. Add the tahini, lemon juice and ice cubes to the blender. Scraping down the sides as you go- blend until a creamy paste is made.

3. Add your chickpeas into a big bowl of water and rub them between your hands gently for a few minutes to remove the skins. This will make your hummus smoother, you can skip this step if you don’t mind a rougher texture.

4. Add the deskinned chickpeas along with the garlic clove, salt and cumin and blend until smooth. You may need to add a little water to get your desired consistency. Now put this into a serving bowl and set aside.

5. Now heat some oil and add your crumbled tempeh. Fry this off for a few minutes until golden. Add the soy sauce and spices and mix until combined.

6. Lastly pop the ‘meat’ on top of your hummus and top with whatever you like. I served mine with some finely diced onion, orange bell pepper, cumin, paprika, olive oil & parsley.

FAQ-

·         I have a sesame allergy what can I use instead?- Its best to have some kind of fat in a good hummus so you could replace the tahini with almond or cashew butter- this is not authentic however we can’t have people missing out on hummus!

·         Can I make this ahead?- You can make ahead however I would recommend to wait until you serve to put the tempeh on top of the hummus as it can go soggy when left for too long. This also stands for why you need to eat it on the same day you serve it unless you don’t mind the texture of soggy tempeh!! I much prefer the tempeh to be warmed before popping on top of the hummus however.

Why not try these other delicious recipes?

• Greek feta and red pepper dip

• Mexican inspired tempeh slices

• Vegan orzo minestrone soup

Did you make this recipe?

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