Now the first question that could arise here, is “What the hell is Dukkah?” (pronounced Dookah) – don’t panic, it’s nothing weird, odd or unsavoury. Far from it, Dukkah is a heady mix of nuts and spices that is all about savouriness and adding super easy flavour to the simplest and plainest of foods.
Here’s how to make your own homemade dukkah.
Of course you can buy Dukkah spice mix in the larger supermarkets and delis, a tiny little jar will set you back a few pounds. But why give the supermarkets your hard earned cash when you can make this homemade Dukkah yourself and it will be fresh and zappy and just packed with flavour, all made exactly to the most important specifications in the world – yours!!!
Dukkah is an aromatic spice blend that originates in Egypt and can be sprinkled on all sorts of dishes. It is also great served simply alongside a small bowl of really good olive oil and some good crunchy bread. Just dip the bread in the oil and then in the Dukkah for a seriously flavourful spicy treat.
It usually contains toasted hazelnuts but you can get creative and use any nuts you fancy from pistachios to almonds, walnuts to cashews. Always use unsalted nuts and toast them for about 3 minutes first in a dry pan to release those amazingly aromatic oils.
I use a mixture of pistachios and almonds with some sesame seeds as well. Toast each individually as they heat at different rates and can scorch and burn in an instant.
Once you’ve toasted the nuts and seeds you want to toast those spices as well. Your kitchen will smell amazing by now. Once all that toasting is done it’s time to mix things up a bit and break ’em down….
Now you can reach for your food processor at this point or you can go back to basics and use a good old fashioned mortar and pestle. I love making spice blends and pestos etc with mine. This is where you really get hands on with your food and feel like you are actually doing something yourself instead of just pressing a button on a machine. Add to that the smell is just amazing and you get exactly the consistency and crunch factor that you want.
You definitely don’t want your homemade dukkah to get too ground up and powdery, this is a spice blend with crunch, so keep those tiny chunks of nutty goodness to tickle the taste buds.
Don’t just think of this as something to use as a party dip. I serve mine with simple boiled eggs and for added luxury some asparagus spears for dipping. Or use it as a tasty crunchy crust on chicken or lamb. You can even mix it up with breadcrumbs for a savoury style crumble topping on mac and cheese.
This is one of those recipes that absolutely anyone can make, you are not getting heavy in the kitchen with too many measures and oven timings etc, you are kitchen crafting ad having some fun with your food – enjoy!
Karon x
- 1 tbsp almonds
- 1 tbsp pistachio nuts
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- Toast each of the nuts and seeds individually in a dry pan till they realease their aroma and are toasty and golden.
- Toast the spices for a minute or too as well.
- Mix all ingredients in a mortar bowl and pound with pestle to break up spices and nuts and release all flavours.
- Don't pound to powder, you want some crunch and texture.
- Store in a small jar with tight fitting lid and use within a week for a really fresh taste.
This is appearing out of my printer as I type. Just what I was looking for …. thank you.
Great to be of timely help Sue.
All best
K x
Where did you find the cool wooden dishes with a separate spot for the oil & spices?
Brought it back from Greece years ago.
K x
Just whipped up a double batch trusting it would be as good add the duukah I bought years ago. Glad I did, yum!
Sounds great, enjoy!
K x
Hi Karon,
Thank you for sharing a great post! I have hyperlinked it into one of my posts.
Kindest regards
Nic
http://www.nicmakim.com.au
Thanks that is kind of you
K x