Bulgur and cumin loaf (Kammounieh)
December 8, 2011 • Category: Main Dish
This is a vegan pâté called kammounieh (from kammoun or cumin). It is a Southern Lebanese specialty. It is easy to make and consists of fine bulgur mixed with onion, herbs, cumin and chiles. The recipe is just a guide as each family in the South have their own personal spice mix for the kammounieh.
Once the pâté is formed it is served at room temperature with a garnish of fresh mint or basil, radishes, diced tomatoes or peppers, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil; served with pita bread or chips.
The one pictured above was bought at Souk el Tayeb from a southern farmer.
The following recipe can be altered according to your taste. The idea is to gather herbs and spices, grind them in a mortar like a pesto and let the bulgur get imbibed with them; tomato paste or a diced tomato is added with olive oil and creates the pâté or kammounieh.
Suggested kammouneh mix:
- 1/4 cup of cumin (if in grains, grind in a mortar or coffee grinder)
- 1 tbsp of hot Aleppo pepper or 1 red chile pepper
- 1 tbsp of marjoram
- 1 tbsp of basil
- 1 tsp of mint (fresh or dried)
- 1 tsp of ground cloves
- 1 tsp of ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp of rose petals (from the fragrant rose Damascena) (omit if needed or replace with geranium petals)
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
NOTE: The rind of an orange was a suggestion from Dana, whose family is Southern Lebanese.
INGREDIENTS: 6 servings
- 1 cup of fine bulgur
- 1/2 of the kammounieh mix
- 3 tbsp of dried onion flakes
- 1/2 cup of tomato paste or 2 large diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp of hot red pepper paste
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
METHOD:
- Boil 2 cups of water and dissolve the tomato and red pepper paste in the water; pour over the bulgur and onion flakes and let it swell; when the bulgur is tender and cool, drain and press excess moisture; combine the bulgur with the spice mix and the olive oil. Pat it to form a compact and moist pâté-like paste, adding more tomato or red pepper paste according to your taste.
- Serve with radishes and fresh herbs and extra olive oil and some pita bread or crackers.
NOTE: This kammounieh is served with meat in the South.
The tomato paste suggested here can be substituted for a thick tomato sauce with some chili peppers (can omit the peppers).
For a richer taste, some people add ground walnuts (about 1/2 cup).
Comments
32 Comments • Comments Feed
Rosa says:
Marvelous flavors and dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
On December 8, 2011 at 6:51 am
Belinda @zomppa says:
Awesome! I may have to bring this to my next holiday gathering.
On December 8, 2011 at 7:53 am
culinaire amoula says:
Wouawwwwwwww!!!j adore les recettes libanaises.
On December 8, 2011 at 7:55 am
Lyndsey@TheTinySkill says:
This looks so interesting, and seem easy to make with ingredients that I already have! I am going to bring this to my next book club! 🙂
How do they serve it with meat? Do they make it with meat or eat it on the side? Just wondering! Thanks.
On December 8, 2011 at 8:01 am
Joumana says:
@Lyndsey: They make a meat tartare on the side, which is ground by hand in a big stone mortar. Translated into the American kitchen it can be served with a good cut of meat, served grilled or on the raw side.
On December 8, 2011 at 8:27 am
Rants and Plants says:
I really love this dish. So healthy and flavorful. Thanks!
On December 8, 2011 at 9:07 am
Diane says:
Mmmm this sounds like a nice change and we both love chili. Diane
On December 8, 2011 at 9:15 am
Oui, Chef says:
What a beautiful addition to any table.
On December 8, 2011 at 10:22 am
Christine says:
Hey Joumana, your Kammounieh Bulgar Pate is a Recipe Guessing Game on Knapkins. Think your friends can win?
http://www.knapkins.com/guess_games/1003?source=blog
Show your foodie love and vote here
http://www.knapkins.com/duel?dish=15710
On December 8, 2011 at 10:29 am
Rachana says:
Such a healthy and flavourful dish!
On December 8, 2011 at 10:44 am
Mrs. Measurement says:
Yum. This sounds delicious.
On December 8, 2011 at 11:13 am
Banana Wonder says:
I love this! It sounds so exotic with the rose petals too.
On December 8, 2011 at 11:53 am
Cherine says:
I love bulgur and i love your recipe!!
On December 8, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Priya says:
Super flavourful and healthy pate..
On December 8, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Elena says:
Waw!Very interesting.
On December 8, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Rachel K says:
Well this is a new one to me and a gorgeous one at that. Perfect for the party season too. Can’t wait to try it, though may have to give the rose petals a miss. Although, what would happen if I used some rose water, I wonder? 🙂
On December 8, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Kiran @ KiranTarun.c says:
Thanks for sharing this vegan pate recipe. I’ve never prefered meat pate’s anyways. These is definitely a must try!!!
On December 8, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Alaiyo Kiasi says:
Hi Joumana,
I’ve known about bulgur wheat for many years, but you are showing me many more ways to prepare bulgur wheat than I thought possible! Did you use a fork on the sides to get the nice edge or did you use a mold? Bulgur wheat is inexpensive, and it’s exciting to know that I can make something this lovely and nutritious with it.
Cheers,
Alaiyo
On December 8, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Joumana says:
@Alaiyo: I used a tartlet mold (not the usual presentation I might add!):)
On December 9, 2011 at 12:22 am
sare says:
I love bulgur and spies. I adore this dish.
On December 8, 2011 at 11:58 pm
samir says:
another great post ..Souk el Tayeb is nothing short of Amazing.. for its vision , its mission, the food, the sharing. the brotherhood, etc..
On December 9, 2011 at 1:46 am
Fahad Khan (@Pharaoh says:
Unfortunately,we hardly have any Lebanese restaurants here,in India.
Your dish looks stunning,the best part is that almost all ingredients used can be easily found in one’s pantry.I would love to try this,just the thought of bulgur steeping in tomato and chili(pepper paste) makes my mouth water.
Thank you for sharing,I am noting down/bookmarking this one.:-)
On December 9, 2011 at 7:52 am
Heavenly Housewife says:
I love bulgar recipes that are unusual like this. Normally I only see bulgar being used in tabouli. I’d love to try this, I do have lots of bulgar at home.
*kisses* HH
p.s. were those your recipes featured in Deserts Magazine this month? I saw the name Joumana but don’t know your last name– they were for delicious looking mamoul cookies
On December 9, 2011 at 10:20 am
Joumana says:
@Heavenly housewive: Gee, thanks for pointing out the article! it is me and the ma’amoul cookies (pistachio and crown cookies). What a pleasant surprise!
http://dessertsmagazine.com/desserts-magazine/currentissue/#/43/
On December 9, 2011 at 10:48 am
domi says:
Tout simplement rafraîchissant ce ” gâteau ” de bulgur bien épicé
On December 9, 2011 at 10:45 am
Chiara says:
easy to make but tasty ! have a lovely weekend Joumana…
On December 9, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Christine says:
This dish is a wonderful amalgamation of spices to awaken the senses. Interesting the addition of rose petals.
On December 9, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Claudia says:
I need this in my life. About how much of the “mix” do you use? I’d like to bring this to our Italian Christmas celebration where my mother is making curry! (Wow – we can change!)
On December 9, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Joumana says:
@Claudia: it is a personal taste thing here; I would start with 1/4 cup and see if you like it. You want the kammounieh to be moist, firm and flavorful. Olive oil and walnuts help with the moistness and the spices and herbs and tomato with flavor.
On December 9, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Hélène (Cannes) says:
Cette recette rentre immédiatement dans ma to-do list … Mon frère et sa famille, grands amateurs de cuisine libanaise, arrivent chez moi pour Noël. Ils vont adorer ça !
Bisous
Hélène
On December 12, 2011 at 12:30 am
Magic of Spice says:
This is lovely! I have some bulgar in my pantry and know of few uses for it, but I love this and will want to try it out 🙂
On December 13, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Hisham Assaad says:
Such an interesting recipe. It’s weird I’ve never heard it while my Italian friend tried it and sent me this link.
On November 6, 2014 at 8:33 pm