Dukkah is a popular Egyptian spice blend made with a flexible combination of nuts, seeds, and spices. Its easy to make at home, and can be adapted to a wide variety of palates and preferences. Feel free to swap in macadamia nuts, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, or hazelnuts if you prefer. The particular nut/spice combination below includes a healthy boost of protein, manganese, Vitamin E, and zinc, which all help support your immune system and reduce inflammation. This recipe also contains bone-boosting calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower bad cholesterol, reduce high blood pressure, and protect your brain health. The tomatoes in this recipe contain a particularly potent dose of lycopene. Cooking tomatoes increases their lycopene content, and lets your body absorb more of the skin protecting, heart healthy, vision fortifying antioxidant.
Serves: 4 (makes roughly 1¼ cup dukkah spice mix)
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups mixed tomatoes, halved lengthwise (try a mix of small and large tomatoes, and cut the large tomatoes into 3rds lengthwise)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (optional)
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Fresh mint, to serve (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes all cut side up, evenly spaced apart, and roast in the oven for 2 hours. The tomatoes will shrink and become wonderfully sweet.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, make the dukkah. In a saucepan, toast the almonds and pine nuts over medium heat until warm and fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor if you’re in a pinch), grind together the nuts and all the spices, and the lemon zest until well combined but still slightly chunky. Transfer to a glass container, and store the extra for up to 2 weeks covered in the fridge.
- When the tomatoes are done, plate them and top with a sprinkling of dukkah, a drizzle of olive oil from the pan, and some fresh mint if desired. Enjoy!
Note: Any leftover dukkah can be used on grilled fish, hardboiled eggs, avocado toast, pasta, or any dish that needs a little spice and texture boost.
