Time for something a bit different guys! Have you heard of Dukkah? Honesty time – I had, but I had NO idea what exactly it was despite knowing I found it deliciously tasty and ordering it whenever I saw it as part of a meal on a menu! I put a little poll on my Instagram recently and it turns out many of you didn’t know what exactly it was either. All in the same boat! So, while in Amsterdam recently, I had the most delicious Cashew Dukkah on a brunch dish, and there and then I decided I HAD to figure out what it was, and how to make it!
So Dukkah (sometimes referred to as ‘duqqa’) is an Egyptian blend of toasted spices, nuts and herbs. The actual ingredients often depend on personal preference, but usually you’ll find a mixture of nuts like hazelnuts or cashews, or alternatively chickpeas, with assorted seeds, and typically spices like cumin, cinnamon and coriander. Ground together to form a coarse powder, dukkah is used as a seasoning, a dip (if blended until creamy texture or with olive oil) or a topping on certain dishes. Like what you’ve heard so far? Yes? Then let’s get to the recipe! I’ve blended my recipe to give more of a nut butter texture – so if you want more of a crumbly topping, then just blend until that consistency and no longer!
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 100g Mixed Unsalted Nuts (I used Cashews & Hazelnuts)
- 50g Pumpkin Seeds
- 15g Whole Chia Seeds
- A pinch of black pepper & sea salt
- Required: A blender or food processor (As always, I used my Nutribullet!)
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan oven) and line a baking tray with tinfoil.
- When the oven is ready, tip the mixed nuts and pumpkin seeds onto the tray, and roast from approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the roasted mix from the oven, and tip into your blender cup or food processor, taking care with the heat!
- Add the chia seeds, and spices.
- Time to blend! This mix should be blended until it reaches the texture of a fine crumble – for me this literally took less than five minutes, and going that bit longer will actually give you quite a creamy texture – like a spiced nut butter! Try it classic-style first and then play around with it.
Enjoy guys! Let me know what you think of this recipe – I can’t wait to see your creations! Tag me if you try it out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!
Ciara x
The Irish Balance 