If you follow these recipes you will know that I’m a fan of spices. I like nothing more than our house smelling of either a souk or an Indian restaurant! Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of nuts, seeds and warm spices that is a delight to make and a great addition to your kitchen. It can be used as a condiment, a sprinkle on hummus or salads, a crust, or simply on as a tasty accompaniment to pitta bread & olive oil. Make a batch of it and store it in an air-tight container for up to a year.

The recipe I’m going to share with you comes from the Cultured Club (see February Reading List 2021). I like this version – it tastes great and packs a nutritional punch.

Dukkah

Ingredients:

100g skinned hazelnuts or whole almonds or pistachio nuts, with their skins

4 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 tbsp pink peppercorns

1 tsp nigella seeds

1 dsp ground nori

2 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Salt to taste

Method:

Toast the nuts in a dry pan set over a medium heat for a few minutes. Shake the pan constantly to prevent them from burning. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a coarse crumble (don’t overdo it), then tip into a bowl. (This is traditionally done using a mortar and pestle, so if you have time…)

In the same pan, dry toast the sesame seeds and add to the bowl with the nuts. Lightly toast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds until their scent is released and transfer immediately to the food processor. Dry toast the sunflower seeds, followed by the pink peppercorns and nigella seeds. Add to the seeds already in the food processor and pulse together (don’t over-process).

Add the ground nori, chia seeds, sea salt, smoked paprika and cinnamon to the nut bowl, then mix together with the coarsely chopped seeds.

Store in an airtight container for up to a year.