What is Dukkah?

Perhaps you’ve received a gift of dukkah, seen the name on a menu or in a store, or heard of dukkah and would like to know what to do with it? It may sound like a game, but this is far from the true answer. Well, imagine a mix of nuts, seeds, and tasty spices. With its origins in ancient Egypt, this is dukkah.

A traditional dukkah mix combines chopped roasted walnuts (often hazelnuts) with sesame, cumin and coriander seeds and spices. This produces a tasty dry concoction that is usually eaten alongside olive oil and pita or crusty bread. The usual way to eat this dish is by dipping the pita in the olive oil and then in the dukkah, delicious.

You can bring the taste of the old to the present and try it yourself. The texture may vary in different places, depending on how coarsely or finely chopped the nuts used are. In Egypt, it is often sold in paper cones by street vendors along with bread that has already been dipped in oil. Today some people, all over the world, make their own at home.

Dukkah should be stored in an airtight container and in the fridge it can stay fresh for quite some time. Although it is generally associated with Egypt and other Middle Eastern cultures, it has also proven quite popular in Australia and New Zealand.

Nuts are considered a good source of protein, and for this reason, a dish would make a good nutritious dish for anyone, but can be particularly beneficial for someone on a vegan or vegetarian diet.

How to use Dukkah?

Call it an appetizer, relish, antipasti, hors d’oeuvre, entree, first course, or even a main course or snack; however you choose to name or categorize it, it’s a tasty treat. Dukkah is generally recommended for appetizers and snacks, but there are several different ways this salty treat can be used.

As already mentioned, it can be eaten with the traditional olive oil and bread. It can also be spread over vegetable or meat dishes. It can be used as a salad dressing. Some people use dukkah as a coating that can be added before cooking chicken, meat, or fish.

Also, some lovers have been known to add it to olive oil creating more of a paste mixture. Others have been known to add it to rice dishes or mix it into a dressing. Whichever way you play it and whichever way you use it, it’s a tasty creation. It can also be used as a topping for yogurt or fruit. You can be imaginative and inventive and come up with your own original uses for dukkah.

Recipe of the day: tuna with walnuts

As Dukkah is a mixture of nuts and seeds (most of which are coarsely crushed), it is important that when it is used in cooking, particularly when frying, it is used with ingredients that do not expose them to a long heating time, otherwise it will burn and ultimately ruin your delicious recipe.

The following recipe is based on Tuna since you can eat it raw or simply seared on the outside and keep it raw on the inside, it gives it a two-tone texture that is very pleasant to the taste and also darkens the rawness of the fish if you are not used to it. If the latter is a problem, just use a thinner cut of the fish.

Important note about frying fish:

* Make sure the pan is clean and hot enough before putting the fish in, otherwise it will definitely stick to the pan (unless you use a non-stick pan); Y

*Don’t keep turning the fish, each side should only be fried once unless you want to flake the fish!

Portion size

1. A person

Ingredients

1. 50g/2oz of your favorite Dukkah

2. 250g/9oz chunk of tuna

3. 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

4. 1 teaspoon of good olive oil

5. Vegetable salad for one

6. Half a slice of lime (lemon if you don’t have lime)

method

1. Place the dukkah on a plate and season with salt and pepper;

2. Roll the tuna chunk over the mixture to ensure it is completely covered and let sit for a few minutes to allow the tuna to infuse with the dukkah flavour. It is essential that you keep it in the fridge during this period of time for health reasons;

3. Arrange your salad greens on your serving plate (use different colored greens to brighten up the plate);

4. Heat a pan lightly coated with olive oil, make sure the heat is not too high and definitely not smoking;

5. Fry your tuna for a few minutes on each side depending on the thickness and size of the tuna. It also depends on how raw you want it to be.

6. Remove from pan and place on top of bed of salad on your serving plate;

7. Drizzle the lemon juice over the tuna, sprinkle with the finely chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

If you want to be more of a fancier, the following additional steps can be used:

1. Cut the tuna into appropriate slices (it does not have to be very thin) and distribute it in the form of a fan on the bed of salad;

2. Wash the roots of the fresh coriander and some stems (do not leave them) and chop them into a fine paste (fresh coriander roots give a very fruity flavor to your food);

3. Add the lime juice just before you finish chopping the cilantro roots (just a few drops, otherwise the paste will turn watery); Y

4. Drizzle this over the sliced ​​tuna and serve.

Note that there will not be too much paste as the coriander roots are small but enough to provide the complementary flavor required for this dish. Make sure you wash the roots well, otherwise you will end up with sand in the paste.