Dukkah

This is JB‘s Dukkah, and it may well be the most useful recipe you find this year, especially with the upcoming holiday season! Add bread + olive oil = instant app. Sprinkle on any meats or veg to instantly elevate. GIFT IT! Costs a pittance to make – and it’s “gourmet”!

JB’s Dukkah recipe

Dukkah is an Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend that is popular throughout the Middle East and now enjoyed all around the world, often carried in gourmet shops with price tags to match!

JB’s been making it for as long as I’ve known him, we always seem to have a little jar stashed away somewhere. It’s one of those universally handy things like chilli crisp and sriracha, that once you start using, you’ll never look back. A topping and finish that adds crunch, flavour and a little Middle Eastern flair to everything from roasted vegetables to meat, fish and even eggs.

But my absolute favourite way to eat it is the traditional way – with bread and olive oil for dipping. Just put out a bowl of dukkah with bread pieces and olive oil, then you just dip a piece of bread in olive oil then the dukkah (it totally sticks), then pop it straight in your mouth. That’s right, there’s no need to go to all that effort to make a dip, just pour dukkah into a bowl and watch everyone dive in. How good is that!!

Ingredients in Dukkah

Here’s what goes in dukkah. It is JB’s recipe, one he picked up during his years working in restaurant kitchens using the classic combination of ingredients typically found in Egyptian dukkah. (Fun fact: France has a strong Northern African culinary influence from generations of immigration!)

• Hazelnuts – Traditionally the most common nut in dukkah. Use skinless roasted hazelnuts (skinless hazelnuts are roasted). If you only have skin-on ones, it’s best to remove the skin as it is quite bitter – I’ve popped directions in the recipe card for how to do this (roast then rub with a tea towel).

• Blanched almonds and pistachios – These are the other two nuts that JB uses, both of which are commonly used in traditional dukkah. I like how pistachios adds little specks of green in the dukkah! But feel free to swap them for walnuts which is also a popular choice, or use only one of them. (Note: blanched almonds are skinless, for the small amount we use, I wouldn’t go out of my way just to get this, you can use regular skin-on almonds).

• Sesame seeds – Another key ingredient that adds toasty sesame flavour into the mix.

• Fennel seeds – Another spice commonly used in traditional Egyptian dukkah. They add a subtle sweetness and warm, slightly aniseed flavour that gives dukkah that “gourmet” edge!

• Spices – Coriander and cumin are the classic spices that give dukkah its distinctive warm, earthy flavour, while cayenne adds just a little background heat. Not enough to make it spicy, just enough to give it a little warm hum! Feel free to reduce or omit the cayenne pepper.

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How to make Dukkah

The defining characteristics of traditional Egyptian dukkah is its coarse, crumbly texture and toasty, nutty flavour. So make sure you don’t grind it into a fine powder or paste, and don’t skip the nut roasting!

1. Roast nuts first – Spread the nuts on a tray and bake for 5 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). By “nuts”, I mean the hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios.

2. Add the seeds – Then add the sesame seeds and fennel seeds to the tray and shake to spread everything out. Then bake for 3 minutes.

3. Fully cool on the tray for 15 minutes.

4. Coarsely blitz – Pour the nuts and spices into a mini food processor. Then blitz until the nuts are coarsely ground. Don’t let it all turn into powder! You want a coarse, crumbly mixture with little bits of nuts for texture and crunch.

   Alternative – Use a mortar and pestle, or put everything in a ziplock bag and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin. I find my spice grinder, Nutrabullet and blender doesn’t work well for Dukkah to evenly blitz so you get coarser small bits. You either end up with everything as a super fine powder or have some giant chunks.

And that’s it! Your dukkah is ready to use!

How to use dukkah

The traditional way to use dukkah is as a bread dip for a starter. Just pour the dukkah into a small bowl and some good extra virgin olive oil in another (my favourite shop-bought is Lomondo from Mudgee in NSW, carried at Harris Farms). 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!

But it’s also incredibly useful as a topper, sprinkling and crumbing, a simple way to add extra flavour and interest to vegetables, meats, eggs and breads. Here are some ideas!

• Dukkah bread – Brush bread with olive oil then sprinkle with dukkah and sea salt flakes, then bake. Ideal to use bread with a large surface area (eg pita bread – pictured below, Lebanese bread, focaccia)

• 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 Steaksor Maple Roasted Carrots with Whipped Tahini (instead of pine nuts).

• Crumbing – Add to a breadcrumb mixture, like these Crumbed Baked Chicken Tenders or Schnitzel!

• Garnish for dips – like hummus, whipped feta and labne.

• GIFT IT! “Everybody” does sweet gifts. Stand out and do something different! 🎁

However you choose to use it, my one advice is to be generous and don’t hold back! If you’re dipping bread, press the bread in firmly to get plenty of dukkah to stick to it. If you’re sprinkling on vegetables or bread, sprinkle with abundance!

But that’s enough from me. What about you? Dukkah lovers out there, share your ways! – Nagi x

* This is a quick “OMG” dish that JB made using the Garlic Prawns recipe except using scallops instead. It was a massive hit at an event we hosted a few years back! I’ve also made it using the prawns as well and it too was a hit.

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Watch how to make it

Life of Jaffle

Jaffle went to stay with the golden retriever boarder while I was in Norway for the last few weeks! Every goldies’ dream to live in a house full of goldens, thundering down the hallways, wrestling on the rugs, stealing each other’s toys and behaving like they own the place. Which, based on the daily reports she sent through, they absolutely do!

Plus, the golden retriever boarder owns Jaffle’s mum, Clem. So not only was he having a party with his friends, he was also with his mum! And it turns out, Jaffle is a total mummy’s boy which I think will surprised no one. 😂 Apparently he just wanted to be by her side wherever she was, at the beach, at the park, at home!

But of the many (many!) photos and videos sent with the daily Jaffle Reports, this was hands down my favourite – just look at that smile!❤️