Hummus Bi Arnabeet – Hummus with Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted cauliflower is a triumph in flavour and texture and it’s also the perfect partner to a smooth and nutty chickpea hummus. See for yourself just how easy and delicious it is to put together at home too…

Hummus Bi Arnabeet or Hummus with Roasted Cauliflower is a variation on the many dishes that come served with hummus in the Middle East from spiced lamb, to nuts and vegetables. This Lebanese cauliflower recipe riffs off one of my all time favourite dishes.

Arnabeet or cauliflower is the perfect partner to tahini (the paste created by crushing sesame seeds). My favourite Lebanese restaurant back in Sydney, Australia serves deep fried cauliflower drizzled with tahini sauce and lemon juice and it's almost too much to bear! I always order it, without exception. Hummus, rich in tahini and yoghurt is exceptional when paired with roasted cauliflower too.

It's a great side dish alongside other Lebanese dishes or as a course unto itself served with lots of bread to scoop up all the goodness.

What's Ahead?

What is Hummus Bi Arnabeet?

Hummus bi arnabeet is a Middle Eastern dish featuring creamy hummus topped with crispy cauliflower florets, typically seasoned with spices like cumin and paprika, creating a flavourful and texturally diverse appetiser or side dish.

Hummus bi arnabeet originated in Lebanon, where it is a popular dish served in Lebanese cuisine. It showcases the diverse flavors and ingredients characteristic of the region's culinary traditions.

Why it works?

Roasted or fried cauliflower is an utter revelation! - Are you ready to extract ALL the hidden flavour from cauliflower? In the deep fried version, the cauliflower is almost blackened and the flavour this produces is insane! All the natural sweetness from the cauliflower is amplified to dizzying new levels - the caramelization brings out all the wonderful sweet and savoury qualities that are otherwise hidden. Roasting cauliflower is healthier, and easier to control, the flavours are exactly the same. The one thing to remember is to hold out from bringing the cauliflower out of the oven too soon - the longer you wait, the blacker it gets. This equates to MORE and MORE flavour. How long can you hold out?

Stuff You'll Need

There are three main components to this dish, the hummus, the cauliflower and the pine nut dressing. Here's what you'll need (don't worry, nothing too out of the ordinary.

• For the Cauliflower: 1 cauliflower, some olive oil and salt & pepper
• For the Hummus: canned chickpeas (garbanzo), tahini, yoghurt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon and a little salt.
• For the spiced pine nuts: pine nuts (pignola), cumin, chilli oil, ghee and a little salt.
• Garnish: fresh parsley

Step by Step

You can make each of the components of the hummus and arrange when you're ready. I prefer the cauliflower hot from the oven, but you can also eat this dish at room temperature if you like. I reckon it's best hot though. Here's how to put everything together.

1. Step 1 - Roast the Cauliflower
   Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Separate the cauliflower into small florets and arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Using your hands, toss the cauliflower to ensure even coating. Roast in the oven for up to 50 minutes - rotate the cauliflower every 10 minutes to achieve uniform charring. Remove when it's deep brown, avoiding burning.
2. Step 2 - Make the Hummus
   Peel the skins from the chickpeas (if desired) and discard them. Place the chickpeas in a food processor along with the other hummus ingredients. Blend for 1 minute until smooth. For a slightly thinner consistency, gradually add a little water or reserved chickpea liquid from the can (about 1/4 cup at a time) until desired texture is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Step 3 - Make the Spiced Pine Nuts
   In a small frying pan, combine both oils and heat over moderate heat until warmed. Add the cumin seeds, pine nuts, and salt, and fry for 1 minute. Avoid overcooking the nuts; remove from heat before they brown as they will continue to cook in the residual heat. Transfer everything to a bowl to cool.
4. Step 4 - Arranging the Dish
   Spread the hummus onto a large serving platter. Arrange the cauliflower pieces on top, ensuring to include all the small charred bits for maximum flavour. Spoon the spiced pine nuts and oil over the dish, then scatter with parsley.

Pro Tips - creating the smoothest hummus

Personally, I actually love a chunky hummus with lots of texture, but for this dish I prefer a smoother, creamier texture - perfect for scooping with flatbreads. The trick to getting a smooth texture is simple, but kind of fiddly - remove the skins! That's right, gently slide off the skin from each and every garbanzo/chickpea. It really does work! It's up to you whether you follow this step or not, but if you want a silk-smooth hummus - this technique is guaranteed to deliver.

Variations on everything

I often make variations on my garbanzo hummus, you could make my hummus with harissa for a hit of spice, or maybe for a more dramatic colour try my black hummus which uses black chickpeas. Why not change up the beans you use? You could substitute with black beans, navy beans or kidney beans. Instead of cauliflower, you can roast and blacken carrots, parsnip or Brussels sprouts. Instead of pine nuts (they're fiendishly expensive right?!) you could substitute with sliced almonds, walnuts or pistachios. There are so many variations - you need never eat the same version twice.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

This dish works pretty well on its own, with a bunch of flatbreads, but if you want it to be a part of a larger Mediterranean/Middle Eastern spread.

Ready to get cooking?

So, grab yourself some flatbreads, pop this in the centre of the table and fight it out with your friends and family. It's the perfect dish for scooping and sharing. This really is a triumph of a vegetable dish, transforming the humble cauliflower into a real celebration of flavour and texture. I hope you get to enjoy the recipe!

More recipes

If you liked this recipe for Hummus bi Arnabeet, I'm sure you'll love some more of my Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes.

• Cypriot Sheftalia
• Moroccan Carrot Salad
• Turkish Bean Salad (Fasulye Piyaz)
• Pilpelchuma with Sweet Potatoes
  
• Freekeh Pilaf with Chickpeas
  
• Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
  
• Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
  
• Middle Eastern Marinade for Chicken Kebabs
  
• Palestinian Zucchini Dip
  
• Lamb & Eggplant Fatteh
  
• Middle Eastern Lamb Kebabs (Kabobs)
  
• Shanklish Salad (Lebanese Breakfast Salad)

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