My Latest Dukkah Recipe

I first tried some Dukkah at Sandalford Winery in Swan Valley, Perth Australia. Dukkah is a Middle Eastern nut mixture, usually served as a dip for breads but is versatile enough for use as a rub for roast chicken or sprinkle onto pasta for extra crunch and a distince Middle Eastern flavor.

Ingredients:

There are many recipes available on the internet but I use what I can find easilly in Singapore with the least amount of work.

1. 3 tablespoons of Cumin seeds
2. 3 tablespoons of Coriander seeds
3. half a cup of Sesame seeds
4. One & half cups of Base Nuts: Almonds. I've even used cashew nuts.
5. Salt & Black pepper corns to taste

You can probably find items 1-3 at the dried food section at Carrefour or Cold Storage.

I've tried looking for raw hazel nuts to use as the base nut but they're not easy to find in Singapore. I think you can probably find them at Jason's Supermart and I suspect they may be rather expensive. If you are lazy like me, you could even use ready roasted and salted Cashews (I used Camel brand snack Cashews once and the Dukkah turned out ok)

Dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds separately in a pan. They're done once the seeds start to pop and the aroma is released. The spice seeds (especially the cumin seeds) burn easilly, so you need to toss continuously and not leave them to roast unattended. It should take about 2-3 minutes each to roast the amount you need.

Sesame seeds take a little longer. They're done when they reach a golden brown hue.

If you're using raw almonds or hazel nuts, toast them in the oven (see pesto Recipe on how to toast nuts)

Blend the cooled toasted nuts in a few quick pulses, taking care not to over-blend as this would release the oils from the nuts. The mixture should be crumbly.

Blend the spices in 1-2 quick pulses.

Mix spices, base nut, sesame seeds, then add enough salt and pepper to taste.

HOW TO USE DUKKAH

I normally serve warm crusty bread as a starter to meals. Dukkah goes great with Turkish bread or Ciabatta toasted in high heat for about a minute, then sliced into strips. Fill a small shallow sauce bowl with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dip the bread into this mixture, then into dukkah and enjoy.

To make an impressive starter, you may have more than one dip for the bread. One other dip I frequently use is Roasted Red Pepper dip, which is a total breeze to do. (see the post on Roasted Red Pepper Dip)