Dukkah
DOO-kah
Nutty, toasty, savory, coarse.
What it is
Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of toasted nuts, seeds, and spices, crushed coarse rather than ground to a powder so it keeps a crunchy texture. A typical mix combines hazelnuts or chickpeas with sesame, coriander, and cumin, plus salt and pepper. It is eaten as a dip, with bread dunked first in olive oil and then in the dukkah, and it is scattered over eggs, roasted vegetables, hummus, and salads for toasty crunch. Every cook has a ratio, but the constant is the contrast of nutty, seedy texture against soft food.
What it pairs with
bread·eggs·vegetables·yogurt
Goes wrong with: smooth sauces; it is meant to add crunch.
Common in Middle Eastern cooking.
Whole vs ground
Dukkah is deliberately left coarse, not powdered. The nuts and seeds are toasted and roughly crushed so it keeps a crunchy texture.
How to handle it
Serve as a dip with bread and olive oil, or scatter over eggs, roasted vegetables, hummus, and yogurt for crunch and toasty flavor.
Storage
Airtight and cool. The nuts and seeds go rancid eventually, so make small batches and use within a month or two.
Buying note
Look for a coarse, fresh-smelling mix. Because it is nut-based it stales faster than dried-spice blends.
What's in it
- Coriander seed·citrus warmth
- Cumin·earthy depth
Classic dishes
bread and oil dip, dukkah eggs, roasted vegetables, crusted fish.
Out of dukkah? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| toasted nuts, sesame, cumin, and coriander, crushed | to taste | easy to make fresh; ratios are flexible |
One odd thing
Dukkah is kept coarse on purpose, since its whole appeal is the crunch of toasted nuts and seeds against soft bread or eggs.