Labneh with Sweet & Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce

I remember the first time I tried sweet chilli sauce. Savoury, spicy, AND sweet. Mind blown. It was the early 2000s, and we were all students. No social gathering was complete without cream cheese smothered in cloyingly sweet shop-bought chilli sauce.

This labneh dip, with its sweet and spicy cherry tomato sauce, pays homage to that snack. The one that allowed me to play hostess – even with my limited kitchen experience. It hits all the spots – creamy, crunchy, sweet and spicy. Perhaps in a slightly more sophisticated way.

The homemade burst cherry tomato sauce takes only 15 minutes to make, so really nothing fancy. But it certainly feels more grown-up. For one, you need to own a pan to make it.

If you have time, by all means, make the slow-roasted version and serve it on labneh as I do here. But this appetiser is intended as a dish that you can throw together almost as quickly as chucking shop-bought chilli sauce on cream cheese.

The sauce gets its fragrant, spicy kick from rose harissa which pairs brilliantly with the smoky maple syrup. Together with the quick pan-roasted tomatoes and garlic, it makes the perfect hot topping for a delicious labneh dip.

What is rose harissa paste?

Harissa is a fragrant North African red pepper and chilli paste – often with toasted spices and garlic. Rose harissa also contains rose petals or rose water. You can buy rose harissa ready-made or make rose harissa at home.

What is a good substitute for rose harissa?

I adore the spicy, fragrant and floral pepper paste. But if you can’t find rose harissa in the shop and is in no mood to make your own, use normal fragrant harissa. Add a teaspoon of rose water to the marinade if you still want those floral notes. Keep in mind that the flavour and levels of chilli heat differ across shop-bought harissa brands.

If you really can’t track down harissa paste, use tomato paste with a teaspoon of rose water. Add a mixed teaspoon of cumin and caraway seeds to the pan with the garlic to get closer to the harissa flavour profile.

What is labneh?

Labneh is a Middle Eastern strained yoghurt (or yoghurt cheese). Straining the yoghurt reduces the liquid whey content and turns it into a spreadable yoghurt cheese with a creamy texture and slightly tangy flavour. Labneh is simple to make at home. Make a large batch whenever you do, as it is fantastic spread on flatbreads and toast. Or serve a labneh dip as part of a mezze spread, like this version with sweet and spicy cherry tomato sauce.

Aside from being simple to make, labneh keeps well in the fridge for at least a month. If you are making labneh at home, keep the drained liquid whey and use it to make quick flatbreads to go with this labneh dip.

What is a good substitute for labneh?

If you don’t have labneh and no time to spare, you can also use thick Greek-style yoghurt as Yotam Ottolenghi does in his famous “Hot charred cherry tomatoes with cold yoghurt” from Simple. See Ottolenghi’s recipe as published in The Guardian. The yoghurt will melt more than labneh when hit with the hot tomatoes, so it definitely needs to be served straight away.

Before starting your sweet and spicy tomato sauce, get all your ingredients ready. If you are making your own flatbreads, now is the time to do so. You can always reheat them gently in the oven or toaster before serving. I love to make this sauce with small, sweet cherry tomatoes. But you can really use any small tomato.

Spread the labneh in a shallow bowl or plate. Use the back of a spoon to make ridges, creating little waves and dips for the sauce to settle into. You can do this well in advance. Just refrigerate the labneh if you are not close to serving.

How to make quick sweet and spicy cherry tomato sauce

This sauce takes a mere 15 minutes on the stovetop. It is ideal as a quick trick to feed unexpected guests.

Maple syrup sweetens the sauce. But it also allows quicker caramelisation in the pan. You can omit this if you have sweet peak summer cherry tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to a pre-heated pan and char for a few minutes. Then add the olive oil and garlic – taking care not to let the garlic go too dark. There is no space for bitter garlic in this sweet and spicy sauce. Next up is the sauce ingredients – rose harissa, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and salt. Squash a few tomatoes with the back of your spatula and cook until everything is thick and bubbly. I like to stir a final tablespoon of olive oil through the sauce right at the end to loosen it up a bit. The recipe card below has detailed instructions.

How to serve this labneh dip

I love to serve this labneh dip with the burst cherry tomato sauce still piping hot, allowing the labneh to melt at the edges. However, if you want to assemble the dish ahead of time – let the tomatoes first cool in the pan. Or you can make all of the components well ahead – storing the labneh and sauce individually in the fridge – and briefly reheat the tomato sauce before serving. If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers, this sweet and spicy tomato sauce is also an excellent relish. Generously spoon it over roast veg and burgers alike.

The dip is topped with toasted nigella seeds and pine nuts. Nigella seeds (also known as black caraway, black cumin or kalonji) has an earthy taste similar to cumin seeds. But I also adore the way they look – black specks highlighted by the white labneh. So, for the closest thing visually and taste-wise, use a combination of cumin seeds and black sesame seeds.

Serve this creamy labneh smothered in sweet and spicy harissa tomato sauce topped with crunchy pine nuts and earthy nigella seeds the next time you entertain – or feel like having a luscious snack. It’s (almost) as quick and easy as spooning shop-bought sweet chilli sauce on cream cheese.