Say hello to my new favorite spice. This Egyptian Dukkah Spice recipe is perfect for adding extra flavor to various dishes, including Hummus. Also known as "Duqqa," it's sure to be a new favorite in your kitchen too!
Although it's a Middle Eastern spice, it was my sister-in-law, Alison, who introduced me to it. We were brainstorming about a ravioli recipe, and Alison suggested I use Duqqa Spice as a topping.
Surprisingly, I'd never heard of Dukka before. We discussed the ingredients that are usually found in the blend and later, I did some research on my own. Using what I learned, I put together my own Duqqa spice blend.
🧐 Why This Recipe Works
I found many Duqqa variations, and they all looked really delicious. However, when I look at a recipe, I have a tendency to try to find ways to improve it. My instinct (which just might be God-given) is usually spot on.
My delicious spice blend consists of nutrient-dense ingredients such as hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. These nuts and seeds are complemented by the other herbs and spices that are all ground together.
🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Ingredient Notes And Substitutions
- Hazelnuts — Hazelnuts are almost always included in Dukkah and should be included.
- Sesame Seeds — Sesame Seeds come in various varieties including white, toasted, and black. In this recipe, we'll be toasting white sesame seeds.
- Thyme — I prefer drying fresh thyme for this spice mix but if you need to, you can use thyme out of a bottle.
🧂How To Make This Recipe
STEP 1: Heat the toaster oven or regular oven to 250 degrees. Place fresh thyme on a piece of foil and dry until crumbly. Check periodically while working on the remaining steps. If you don't have fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and skip the oven.
STEP 2: Heat a cast-iron pan and toast the chopped hazelnuts for three minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Add pumpkin seeds and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool off.
STEP 3: Add coriander, cumin, and peppercorns to the same pan. Toast for a few minutes, adding chili flakes during the last minute. Remove and allow to cool.
STEP 4: Next, add sesame seeds to the pan. Toast for two minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove sesame seeds from the pan and turn off the heat.
STEP 5: Using a spice mill, pulse hazelnuts until coarsely chopped. Do the same with the pumpkin seeds. Do not grind into a powder.
STEP 6: Add coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and chili flakes. Grind just before it turns into powder.
STEP 7: Mix hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, coriander, cumin, peppercorn, and chili flakes in a small bowl. Add sesame seeds, dried thyme leaves, mint, and sea salt. Mix to combine and store in an 8 oz jar until needed.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The word "Dukkah" is derived from the Arabic word meaning "to pound." The ingredients in this Egyptian spice blend are usually pounded using a mortar and pestle.
Duqqa is somewhat similar to the spice blend known as Za'atar.
Not only do they both originate in Egypt, but both are used as condiments. Like Za'atar, Duqqa may be sprinkled over food as a seasoning, or mixed with olive oil to form a paste.
If you take the time to look up different Duqqa recipes, you will soon see that some ingredients are always present, while other ingredients vary from recipe to recipe.
For example, hazelnuts, cumin, coriander, and sesame seeds are included in most recipes. While ingredients like fennel, mint, chili flakes, marjoram, nigella sativa, and pine nuts may or may not be included.
When coming up with my own blend, I chose the ingredients that I not only like, but that compliment each other. If I’ve left out an ingredient that you are fond of, I encourage you to add it!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- One way to enjoy Dukkah is by dipping warm Pita Bread in olive oil, then into the spice blend, somewhat similar to Manakish.
- You can also sprinkle Dukkah over some tangy, homemade yogurt, and it's delicious over pumpkin soup.
- One of my favorite ways to enjoy Duqqa is over this Pumpkin Casserole recipe.
If you enjoy making your own spice blends, you may be interested in learning how to make your own Corned Beef Spice Blend, Biryani Spice, Pork Rub, and Zaatar Substitute Spice Blend.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Dukkah Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves (or dried thyme)
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted pumpkin seeds (hulled)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ teaspoon sea-salt
Instructions
- Heat toaster oven or regular oven to 250 degrees. Place fresh thyme on a piece of foil and dry until crumbly. Check periodically while working on the remaining steps. If you don't have fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and skip the oven.
- Heat a cast-iron pan and toast the chopped hazelnuts for three minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Add pumpkin seeds and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool off.
- Add pumpkin seeds and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool off.
- Add coriander, cumin, and peppercorns to the same pan. Toast for a few minutes, adding chili flakes during the last minute. Remove and allow to cool.
- Next, add sesame seeds to the pan. Toast for two minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove sesame seeds from the pan and turn off the heat.
- Using a spice mill, pulse hazelnuts until coarsely chopped. Do the same with the pumpkin seeds. Do not grind into a powder.
- Add coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and chili flakes. Grind just before it turns into powder.
- Mix hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, coriander, cumin, peppercorn, and chili flakes in a small bowl. Add sesame seeds, dried thyme leaves, mint, and sea salt. Mix to combine and store in an 8 oz jar until needed.
Notes
- One way to enjoy this spice is by dipping warm Pita Bread in olive oil, then into the spice blend, somewhat similar to Manakish.
- You can also sprinkle Dukkah over some tangy, homemade yogurt, and it's delicious over pumpkin soup.
- One of my favorite ways to enjoy Duqqa is over this Pumpkin Casserole recipe
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