Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a saucepan and sprinkle ½ teaspoon of baking soda over the chickpeas. Then, add water to the saucepan to cover the chickpeas by a few inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil of about 20 minutes. 

When they’re done, drain the chickpeas through a fine mesh sieve and run cold water over them. Set aside. 

The Spiced Lamb

In a large skillet, sauté diced onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the cinnamon, cumin seeds and ground coriander to the onions and stir to toast and mix in the spices, about 1 minute.

Then add the minced lamb to the pan and brown the lamb while breaking it apart. When the lamb is mostly browned, deglaze the pan with the 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Stir up any brown bits and continue cooking for another few minutes, until the lamb is cooked through. Reduce the heat to very low to keep the lamb hot while we prepare the hummus. Stir occasionally while you make the hummus. 

Hummus

Add the roughly chopped garlic and kosher salt to the food processor. Add the lemon juice. Process until the garlic is more finely chopped. Let the garlic sit with the lemon juice for about 5 minutes, to let the garlic flavor mellow out a bit. 

Add the tahini to the processor and process until the tahini is thick and creamy. 

With the processor running, add two tablespoons of ice water through the top feeder tube of the lid. You will notice the thick, creamy tahini will immediately loosen, become more creamy and light in color. 

Next, add the ground cumin and the overcooked chickpeas. Begin to process the mixture and while the processor is running, drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil through the top feeder tube. Process until very smooth. About 2-4 minutes. 

Taste the hummus and add kosher salt and more lemon juice to taste. Let the hummus sit while you chop the mint and parsley for the garnish. Cut the heat on the lamb and give it a good stir. Pour the hummus onto a serving platter and spread around with the back of a spoon. 

Use a slotted spoon to add the spiced lamb to the top of the hummus. Give the plate a squeeze of lemon. Then sprinkle the minced herbs on top. 

Now, you can top with more garnishes like pomegranate seeds and/or toasted pine nuts. If you like, drizzle a little more pomegranate molasses over the top. 

Serve with warm pita.