Cooking with Dukkah

Maybe a few of you are wondering what the heck dukkah is? For the uniformed, dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend made from a combination of different nuts, spices and cumin. I find it quite delicious sprinkled on roasted vegetables and/or chicken (as pictured above) or even something as mundane as a topping for crackers or bread, spread with butter or almond butter. Toasted baguette would be amazing dipped in olive oil and then dipped in this too! 

I find spices a gift from god! They can perk up even the most boring dishes (not that I find many foods boring). And, in addition to wonderful flavor, they bring a host of nutritional riches with them. Case in point, cumin being the main star of this delicacy. Although automatically associated with Indian curry dishes and Mexican food recipes, this seed lends itself to many other dishes.  Not to be mistaken with caraway seeds - I think they are kinda cousins since they are both from the same plant family (along with parsley and dill) - the Umbelliferae. I know - that probably means nothing to you but I just had to tell you. 

Cumin is rich in iron as well as manganese, copper, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. It also is very helpful for digestion. Scientists have been studying the seeds as there is suggestion that they have anti-carogenic properties. All that and they taste good too!

So without further adieu, here's a recipe from Allrecipes for one version of dukkah (there are several but this is one that I have done):

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup hazelnuts or almonds or half & half
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds

• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the hazelnuts/almonds on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. While the nuts are still hot, pour them onto a tea towel. Fold the towel over them to cover, and rub vigorously to remove the skins. Set aside to cool.


In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until light golden brown. Pour into a medium bowl as soon as they are done so they will not continue toasting. In the same skillet, toast the coriander and cumin seeds while shaking the pan or stirring occasionally until they begin to pop. Transfer to a food processor. Process until finely ground, then pour into the bowl with the sesame seeds. Place the cooled hazelnuts into the food processor, and process until finely ground. Stir into the bowl with the spices. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. 


This mixture keeps well in the fridge for up to a few months (as long as it is well sealed so the flavors don't get exposed to air and become rancid). But if you love it like I do, you will find many different ingenious ways to include this on different foods and it won't last that long! Enjoy!

Reference:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91