Dukkah, a loose savoury blend of toasted and roughly crushed nuts and seeds blended with spices, has Egyptian origins. Traditionally it’s served with bread which is first dipped into olive oil, sometimes for breakfast but generally as an appetiser or snack.
Claudia Roden in her “New Book of Middle Eastern Food” says that the formula for dukkah varies greatly from family to family, so without fear of a cultural backlash I decided to have a crack at making my own blend.
White sesame seeds, ground coriander and cumin seeds are common core ingredients and it was with these flavours I began. As I’ve said many times before, I’m a purist when it comes to spice. I buy in small quantities, use them up quickly and grind the seeds as needed, that way my spices are always fresh and aromatic.
I chose to use nuts I had to hand, an unlikely but successful combination, the smoked almonds contributing a beautiful depth of flavour. Using pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts would have been more authentic.
Half the batch I set aside to serve with drinks over the next couple of weeks, then I converted the to second portion to a savoury crumb to sprinkle on vegetable salads, on grilled meat and fish and on egg dishes for a crunchy protein element.
dukkah: mix together-
4 tablespoons roasted macadamia nuts, roughly crushed
4 tablespoons smoked almonds, roughly crushed
8 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge for up to a month.
dukkah crumble: mix together-
120g dukkah (1/2 a batch)
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon pine nuts, roasted until golden
2 tablespoons rolled oats, roasted until golden
2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano leaves
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge for up to a month.
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Thanks for the link love Margot
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I recentely learned about Dukkah, which seems like rock’n roll mix of nuts and spices. Really interested in this one – will try this out! Seems like this is the perfect mid-day snack.
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You taught me about dukkah. Very interesting. Sprinkle on roasted pumpkin sounds very good to me to. 😛
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Your photo makes me want to dig in immediately.
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Yum – I absolutely adore dukkah! I’d never thought to make my own before. Thanks for sharing!
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Gab it’s so simple to make, and so good you’ll never fork out your hard earned $$$ for insipid commercial dukkah again
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Haha I agree! I have had some fairly average store-bought dukkah before, this is fabulous 😀
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Sandra, I absolutely adore dukkah but hate to admit that I’ve never made it myself. This mix sounds really wonderful with the macadamia nuts and smoked almonds… I’m going to have to try it!
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Margot, dukkah is so simple to make, and much, much cheaper than store bought, but I guarantee you’ll be especially blown away by the difference in the robustness of the flavour. Once you make your own you’ll be hooked. There are no hard and fast rules either
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That dukkah crumble mix sounds like a great condiment to have on hand. Like the idea of it as a crunchy topping on grilled anything!
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Me too Deb! I love texture, visually and orally. The savoury crumble add spicy crunch whatever it’s sprinkled over
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I usually have pretty good discipline as far as food intake is concerned: you place an interesting dukkah in front of me and I cannot stop reaching for it ! Love both your dukkah and your crumble: macadamia nuts and smoked almonds do not oft appear in the mixes I have tried, so this is fun! Because of lack of time I first used Herbies as many of us Down Under I daresay have done, then found Maggie Beer’s with the addition of fennel and anise . . . . but would like to make my own again, so thank you!! The crumble promises to deliver lots of flavour!!
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Dukkah is a summertime favourite in our house, it’s never the same two batches in a row, but providing there are sesame seeds, nuts, spice, it’s dukkah. I’m addicted to aniseed flavours, so thanks for that inspiration for the future.
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Great minds Sandra. We both posted dukkah recipes at exactly 5pm today! Love the idea of using smoked almonds, and your dukkah crumble sounds amazing. Love the idea of a savoury crumble mix.
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Dukkah snap Sas! The crumble makes a fabulous textural contrast in salads, I’ve been sprinkling it like fairy dust.
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Love the idea of the smoked almonds in this mix Mrs R, a nice twist and using what’s on hand as well.
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The smokiness of the almonds worked really well with the spice Cheery, and so simple to make!
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I love the sound of that Dukkah crumble. What an interesting addition to a vegie dish.
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The dukkah crumble was a flash of inspiration. We loved it sprinkled on roasted pumpkin. The crunch of the dukkah was the perfect counterpoint to the sweet softness
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