Dukkah is an Egyptian nut and spice blend. I usually have some in the fridge to add zing to basic dishes, like salads and steamed vegetables. And I also like to sprinkle it on sandwich fillings and fried eggs!  But the most popular way of enjoying dukkah is with freshly baked sourdough bread, and some herbaceous, peppery extra virgin olive oil (mmm…the taste buds just perked up!).

I’ve just started to make my own dukkah too. It’s so simple and easy to whip up. Besides, it only takes a measly 15 minutes to put together, and it’s cheaper homemade.

The ingredients for dukkah can vary from person to person, and from brand to brand. There are really no rules for making a good dukkah. Vary the spices. Vary the nuts. Or vary both. It really doesn’t matter, as long as you like the end combination.

Although there are plenty of dukkah recipes around, I thought I’d share my favourite combination of ingredients.  I haven’t used hazelnuts, which are common in many dukkah recipes, as I’m not a big fan – unless they’re covered in chocolate!

Recipe

Makes about ¾ cup of dukkah.

 Ingredients

• ¼ cup (45g) raw almonds
• ¼ cup (35g) shelled, roasted pistachios (I buy ones will the shells on, then peel them)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• sea salt, to taste

Method

On a stove top, dry roast the almonds in a fry pan over low to medium heat until fragrant. This takes around 5–7 minutes. Make sure you continually shake the pan, so the almonds don’t burn. Tip onto a plate and allow to cool.

While the almonds are cooling, dry roast the cumin and coriander in seeds over low to medium heat in the same way as the almonds. The seeds will take around 3–5 minutes to become fragrant. Grind the roasted seeds in a spice grinder or marble mortar and pestle and set aside. Next, lightly toast the sesame seeds (be careful, they burn easily), or you can leave them as they are.

In a food processor, add all the prepared ingredients, except for the salt. Pulse until the nuts are in small, chunky pieces. It should not become floury or pasty. (You could also pound all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle instead.) Then stir in the amount of salt to your liking. If you have used salted pistachios, you may not need much seasoning.

Store in an airtight bottle in the fridge.