Lately I have been loving healthy and tasty condiments, which can take even a simple dish to the next level. I love toasting cumin seeds and grinding the aromatic seeds with salt a la Alice waters. I sprinkle these mixture onto my eggs in the morning. Supposedly, she travels with this easy little blend a small jar to enliven up her food on the road. I love Gomasio, a Japanese blend of ground up toasted sesame seeds, salt and seaweed flakes, perfect to adorn a fresh salad or grain bowl. Lately I have been obsessed with Dukkah, an Egyptian and Middle Eastern nut and spice, where one toasts, seeds, nuts and spices and grinds them into a crunchy crumb-like topping. This mixture is often served in olive as a dip for bread or vegetables. I personally love to garnish my soups, salads and vegetable dishes with it. I enjoy grinding the seeds and nuts with a mortar and pestle, preferring an analogue, hands on experience but processing the ingredients in a food processor is quick and easy. One can get super creative with their choice of nuts. I used walnuts, pistachios, almonds and hazelnuts, an ounce of nuts can contain 5 grams of protein and are loaded with other nutrients including Vitamin E, Selenium (Brazil nuts are the highest in selenium), Manganese, Magnesium and loaded with good fats. Nuts are good for your heart, are anti-inflammatory, can help lower blood sugar and have anti-oxidizing properties. In addition to fennel seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, I also added some cinnamon. I have seen recipes with only almonds or creating a mixture with pecans and Brazil nuts. Get creative and fun with it. Share your Dukkah variations with me.

Makes about 1 and 1/2 cups / Prep time 15 minutes

Gather

1/2/ cup/ 75 grams raw hazelnuts

1/2/ cup/ 75 grams raw walnuts

2 tablespoons / 28.35 g raw, shelled pistachios

2 tablespoons / 28.35 g raw almonds

1/4 cup/ 37.5 grams un-hulled sesame seeds

2 teaspoons / 11.8 g fennel seeds

1 teaspoon / 5.9 g cumin seeds

1 teaspoon/ 5.9 g cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon / 2.84 g coriander powder

1 teaspoon / 5.9 g sea salt

Make

Place the hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and almonds into a medium cast iron pan and toast over a medium flame, for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until browned, careful not to burn. Remove the heat and transfer the nuts to a bowl to cool.

Place sesame seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in the cast iron pan and toast over a medium flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl with the nuts. Transfer the nut and seed mixture to the bowl of a food processor and pulse the the mixture for 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, coriander and sea salt and pulse until you have a course crumbly mixture.

Alternatively, transfer the toasted nuts and seeds to a large mortar and grind the mixture with a pestle until you create a course crumbly mixture. Add, the cinnamon, coriander and sea salt until well incorporated. Transfers to an airtight jar with lid and store in the fridge for up to a month. Doubt it will last that long. It’s that good.

Developed by Anna Getty of Amalgam Kitchen.

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