At the start of a recent long lunch at Emerson’s in the Hunter Valley the waitress asked ‘Would you like to start with house-made bread?’ I almost said no wanting to save valuable stomach space for dessert. But, in the end I was glad my husband insisted on bread. Why? Because with the bread came with a delicious nutty dukkah. I walked away with a note-to-self to make home-made dukkah to share with you (to show just how easy it is).

I reviewed a few recipes online and this is where I landed. It is such a great way to use up surplus spices and nuts that may otherwise sit in your pantry way beyond their peak condition. Don’t be too fussy about the type of nuts – instead use up what you have in the pantry.

Ingredients

•  50g mixed nuts – ideally 25g pistachios and 25g of one or more of hazelnuts, macadamias or almonds
•  2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp fennel seeds
• ¼ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp salt (ideally Himalayan pink salt)
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

You can substitute the coriander and cumin seeds for ground coriander and cumin, but roasting and grinding the seeds produces a much more robust kick of spice.

Steps to prepare

1. Toast the nuts until they are golden – you can do this in a saucepan on a low to medium heat or on a baking tray in the oven at 180C for around 10 minutes.
2. Toast the seeds and black peppercorns – again in a saucepan on a medium heat for a few minutes (or until they are aromatic). See image below.
3. Grind the seed and peppercorn mix – use a mortar and pestle and lightly ground into a powder.
4. Crush the nuts – do this once they have cooled and again use a pestle and mortar (don’t go overboard as you want a crunchy nut mix not a fine nut meal).
5. Combine the spice and nut mixes – then season with the salt and paprika (and add the optional chilli flakes). That’s all there is to it.

To serve

• Use as a dip with fresh bread and olive oil (and balsamic vinegar)
• Sprinkle on lamb koftas (or any slow-cooked lamb dish)
• Use as a crunchy topping for yoghurt with berries
• Transform an oven-baked chicken breast with a dukkah crust

By Feast Wisely

Other recipes you might like:

• Guacamole in three minutes
• Home-made tomato sauce (sugar free ketchup)