Dukkah – an old Egyptian speciality

Dukkah is an old Egyptian specialty condiment.  It is a loose blend of nuts and spices in a dry, crushed but not to a powdered, form. The name “Dukkah” is derived from the Arabic word “to pound” referring to how all the spices are pounded together to prepare the dish. It is a very personal and individual mixture which varies from one family to another.
In Egypt it is served at breakfast time, as an appetiser, or as a snack in the evening.  It is used as a dip and eaten along with Egyptian flatbread or raw vegetables, such as tomatoes or cucumber, as an hors d’oeuvre or side dish.
In cooking classes we serve it with extra virgin olive oil and our focaccia; you may also use fresh sour dough bread or flat Turkish bread. I like to use it sprinkled over pan-fried scallops, to enhance a salad and to encrust roast pumpkin.
The recipe below is our Cooking on the Bay version. Once you have made it a few times, adjust the ingredients and quantities according to your personal taste.

In a dry pan, lightly toast all the ingredients separately, with the exception of the chili, salt and pepper.
Put all the nuts together and blitz in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped; be careful not to over chop or blitz as they will get too powdery and some of the nuts will release their oils.
Put the seeds and chili flakes in the mortar and pestle and grind to a course powder. Alternatively, you can add them to the food processor and blitz briefly.  Mix all ingredients together; add sea salt and ground black pepper – it is very important to taste as you go when adding the salt and pepper. You will find it takes quite a lot of salt.

When cold, store in an airtight jar, and use as a crust for seafood, lamb or pork fillets, or chicken.
Other additions you may like to include could be:
Nuts: walnuts or pecans
Spices: paprika or lemon myrtle