Dukkah Nut and Spice Blend
Dukkah is an Egyptian specialty that is not strictly speaking a spice blend, but rather a blend of roasted nuts seasoned with spices. While many different nuts may be included in dukkah, the combination I have found to be most appealing contains hazelnuts and pistachios.
The most popular way to consume dukkah is to take Turkish style or crusty bread, tear off a piece and dip it first in olive oil then in the dukkah. Dukkah makes a crunchy coating for chicken or fish when put on before pan-fying. It is also good sprinkled over fresh salads, especially when combined with a little sumac. Tsire powder is a similar West African blend of crushed salted roasted peanuts, lightly seasoned with mixed spice and chili pepper. Traditional use is to dip raw meat into oil or beaten egg before coating with the powder and cooking.
Recipe for Dukkah
Ingredients:
3 1/3 tbsp hazelnuts
4 tbsp pistachio nuts
10 tbsp white sesame seeds
5 tbsp ground coriander seeds
2 1/2 tbsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp salt, more or less to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation:
Roast the hazelnuts and pistachio nuts then chop them into small dices in a food processor. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden brown. The coriander and cumin seeds may be roasted whole and then ground, however I find the flavor is lighter when plain ground coriander and cumin are used. Blend all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
Photo by Abissada / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Du%27ah_%28dukkah%29_-_Egyptian_spice_mix.JPG
