Dukkah recipe

5 from 9 votes

Recipe video above. This is JB's recipe for dukkah, the Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend that is endlessly useful for sprinkling to add crunch, flavour and a little Middle Eastern flair to everything from roasted vegetables to meat, fish and even eggs.

But the traditional - and my favourite use - is as a bread dipper. Brilliant instant app!

PS Also a fabulous gourmet food gift that's very cost effective (~$3.50 per batch) and easy to make loads. Everybody gifts chocolate. Stand out and be different! :)

Makes: 3/4 cup (105 grams)

Prep Time5

Cook Time8

Cooling15

Total Time28

Course: Appetiser, Dip, Spice Mix

Cuisine: Arabic, Egyptian, Middle Eastern

Keyword: dukka, dukkah, duqqa

Servings: cups

Calories: 742cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

1/4 cup skinless hazelnuts , roasted (Note 1)
1 1/2 tbsp blanched almonds (ie skinless almonds), substitute skin-on, or walnuts, cashews or more pistachios (Note 2)
2 tbsp pistachios kernels , unsalted - substitute more almonds, or walnuts or cashews
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (substitute 1/2 tsp ground, I'd still toast to bring out flavour)

Spices:

1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper - feel free to reduce or omit
1/4 heaped teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, + 50% for flakes) - Note 3

Cups - Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

Toast nuts 5 min @ 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), add seeds, toast 3 min. Cool 15 min, blitz with spices until coarsely ground.

FULL RECIPE

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Roast nuts - Spread the hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios on a tray. Bake for 5 minutes.
Roast seeds - Add sesame seeds and fennel seeds to the tray. Shake the tray to spread evenly. Bake for 3 minutes.
Coarsely blitz - Cool on the tray for 15 minutes. Pour everything into a mini food processor. (Note 4) Add the Spices. Blitz until coarsely ground - don't let it become a powder. (Or do this in a mortar and pestle, or in a ziplock bag and bash using a rolling pin or meat mallet). Note - the chunkier nut bits will rise to the surface and powder will sink, so don't be tricked into thinking it's chunkier than it is!
Use as a bread dipper with olive oil or sprinkling over "everything"! Use generously, not a sparse sprinkle, defeats the purpose!

USES:

As a bread dip (traditional) - Pour dukkah into a small shallow bowl and a good extra virgin olive oil in another (my favourite shop-bought is Lomondo from Mudgee in NSW). Pile warm cubes of bread, focaccia or wedges of pita bread on the side. Dip bread into olive oil first then the dukkah (it will stick to the oil). Eat!
Dukkah bread - Brush bread with olive oil then sprinkle with dukkah and sea salt flakes. Ideal to use bread with a large surface area (eg pita bread, Lebanese bread, focaccia)
Crumbing - Add to a breadcrumb mixture, like these Crumbed Baked Chicken Tenders or Schnitzel!
*Note on cooking* If using dukkah to sprinkle on things that go into the oven, be mindful of the nuts burning. Best to use for things that have a short bake time (eg on bread, ~10 min in oven) or mix it with breadcrumbs. Otherwise, use to sprinkle on the cooked food.
Topping or finish - Sprinkle generously over foods to make a good dish gourmet, or to make simple foods instantly more exciting! Examples: Garlic prawns, roasted vegetables, glazed carrots, oven baked chicken breast, a store bought roast chicken (add olive oil as well), pan fried fish, avocado toast, scrambled eggs. It'd be spectacular sprinkled on these Sweet Potato Steaks or Maple Roasted Carrots with Whipped Tahini (instead of pine nuts). (Remember - use generously!)
Garnish for dips - like hummus, whipped feta and labne.

Notes

1. Skinless hazelnuts can be purchased from regular grocery stores and come roasted. If you only have skin-on, I recommend removing the skin as it is a little bitter. To do this, roast the hazelnuts in a 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10–12 minutes until the skins start to crack. Tip onto a clean tea towel, wrap them up and rub vigorously to remove the skins. Don't worry if some bits of skin remain! As they're freshly roasted, there's no need to roast them again before blitzing, just roast the other nuts and seeds.

Best substitute - Blanched almonds, but then replace the 1/2 tbsp of blanched almonds with another nut, either walnuts or more pistachios. Or use cashews.

2. Almonds - Because the quantity used is so much less than the hazelnuts and the skin isn't bitter, it's fine to substitute with skin-on almonds, preferably roasted (if raw, give them a 3 minute head start in the oven).

3. Salt - I know a heaped 1/4 teaspoon is an odd amount but honestly, 1/2 tsp was slightly too salty and I really feel like 1/4 tsp is slightly under salted! Also, I know it doesn't sound like a lot of salt for 3/4 cup of dukkah, but the salt gets blitzed so a little goes further than you expect. And you can always add extra salt at the end, if you want.

4. Mini food processor - There's not enough volume to use a regular size food processor, though if you triple or quadruple the recipe, then it would be fine!

Storage - Keep in an airtight jar and store in a cool pantry for 2 weeks, fridge for 2 months or freezer for 6 months (provided the nuts and spices were fresh).

Nutrition for full batch.

Nutrition