Dukkah (a Unique Appetizer in 10 Minutes)
Ground nuts, seeds and spices make an incredible earthy, flavorful appetizer 'dip' served with bread and olive oil. Your guests will love this delicious Dukkah recipe.
Servings (change as needed): 14 tablespoons (~1 cup total)
Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled nuts (any combination of macadamia, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, almond, walnuts, pecans)
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds (buy toasted sesame seeds to skip the toasting step)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds (or 4 teaspoons ground coriander)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon good quality sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- TOAST THE NUTS: Note 2. Choose a method.° Oven method: Heat the oven or toaster oven to 350F/177C. Lay out nuts on a baking sheet in single layer. Roast nuts for about 7-9 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool for a few minutes. If using hazelnuts with skins, remove skins by rubbing nuts together between your two hands.° Pan method (quicker): Place nuts in a dry skillet and heat to medium heat. Shake pan or stir until nuts are light brown and fragrant. Small nuts will take about 3 minutes. Larger nuts 5-6 minutes.
- TOAST SEEDS IF NEEDED: If your sesame seeds aren't toasted and you are using whole spices like coriander seeds (not ground coriander), place seeds in a dry cold skillet. Turn heat to medium. Toast nuts, shaking or stirring for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. DON'T toast ground coriander or cumin - they will burn. DON'T toast seeds and nuts together as seeds take much less time.
- CRUSH NUTS AND COMBINE: Place nuts in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Don't over-process the nuts or they will turn to paste. If you don't have a food processor, grind nuts with a mortar and pestle). Add sesame seeds and spices. Pulse very briefly 2-3 times just to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings until you get the best flavor. Note 3 to serve as appetizer dip. Note 4 - other serving options.
- TO SERVE DUKKAH:
Notes
- Variations and substitutes
- Nuts: Use any combination of nuts - macadamia, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, pecans. Even peanuts.
- Seeds: The most common are white sesame seeds. Some use fennel seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds as well.
- Spices/seasonings: Typically, cumin and coriander. Thyme, mint, red pepper flakes, oregano, sea salt are also used. Or try adding smoked paprika or sumac if you like.
- Everything bagel seasoning version: Ok, not exactly authentic dukkah, but a similar idea using seeds and seasonings that only takes a minute. Combine 2 tablespoons each toasted sesame and poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon each granulated dried garlic and dried minced onion and 1 teaspoon or more kosher salt. Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod everything bagel seasoning.
- Three methods to toast nuts: here's an article on how to toast nuts in microwave, stove top or oven
- How to serve dukkah as an appetizer:
- Put dukkah into a bowl, place a fresh baguette or other crusty bread or pita cut into small pieces on a tray and pour some good olive oil into a separate bowl. Guests will take a piece of bread, dip the end into the oil and then dip it into the Dukkah.
- Only serve what you think you'll need. A lot of dipping eventually makes the Dukkah oily. You can refill Dukkah as you need it.
- Other serving options: Dukkah makes a great topping sprinkled on salads, fish, eggs, hummus, roasted vegetables labneh, soups. It also makes a great gift in an airtight jar.
- Make ahead:
- Store dukkah in airtight container (jar, ziploc) for 2- 3 weeks at room temperature. After that the oils in the nuts will turn in rancid.
- It can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg