This might seem like a strange meal to some but it is seriously more-ish. The cucumber salad on the side brings everything together and you’ll end up licking the plate. Such a great meal to share. It’s also pretty easy to whip up and full of vegetables, protein and fibre – perfect.

I used Yottam Ottolenghi’s hommus recipe as it’s the best and I can’t improve on that, you can find it here. You won’t need to use all of it for this recipe, so keep some to eat as a healthy snack during the week. Making your own hommus is so worth it, especially when it’s as creamy as this one (with no oil!).

Caramelising the meat is really important, it gives it a depth of flavour and creates a crispy texture in contrast to the hommus. The idea for this came from a beans and mince dish I always order in Chinese restaurants + the idea of hommus as a base to serve meat on + I’m obsessed with adding some crunchy cucumber to everything at the moment. Obviously the mince in this once leans towards the middle east in flavour rather than China. Anyway it’s all so good scooped up together, the ideal share food. A piece of flatbread to mop it all up with would also be good but isn’t essential.

Ingredients

400g beef mince (best quality you can afford)

2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

250g green beans

1/2 cucumber

2 cups Hommus

1 lemon, cut into wedges

zest of one lemon

2 Tbs mint

2 Tbs parsley, finely chopped)

1 Tbs oregano leaves (fresh)

1 Tbs finely shopped spring onion

1 Tbs toasted sunflower seeds

1 tsp oil

Directions

Mix the mince well with the chilli, paprika, cumin, sumac, coriander and salt.

Quarter the cucumber lengthways then roughly dice. Put the cucumber in a bowl with half the mint (finely shredded), 1/2 Tbs parsley, a pinch of the oregano, 1/2 the spring onion and 1 tsp of the lemon zest. Toss together briefly. and set aside.

Place a large pan on high heat, once it is hot add the mince. Cook, stirring often, until meat is caramelised 5-10 minutes. Add 1 Tbs parsley and the remaining oregano, stir. Trim beans and add to the pan. Continue to cook and stir until beans are bright green and the mince and spices are slightly sticking to them.

Select a large plate and place the hommus in the middle, spread using the back of a spoon or a spatula to flatten it and make a larger circle of hommus that is slightly thinner in the centre. Arrange the beef and beans on top of this, sprinkle with remaining herbs, 1 Tbs of lemon zest (or what you have left if less than this), the sunflower seeds, and remaining spring onion. Serve with the lemon wedges and the cucumber salad on the side.

HH. x