How to make dukkah

Dukkah is an Eyptian spice and nut seasoning. It tastes similar to gomisio but a bit more involved to prepare.  I used it to pair with a recipes I was testing out (one of them - roasted-aubergine-and-carrot-on-bed-of-lentils-with-date-and-lemon-chutney.  As with most things the recipe has been tampered with over the years and many versions exist.  I found this by Alice Hart from the Telegraph magazine.  I tweaked the ingredients slightly to suit what I had in my cupboards and simplified the method.

2 tbs sesame seeds

1/4 cup pistachios roughly chopped

1 tbs coriander seeds

1 tbs cumin seeds

1 tbs black peppercorns

1 sprig thyme, leaves picked

1/4 tsp salt (omit if the pistachios are salted)

1 tsp ground sumac (a citrusy Middle Eastern spice)

Method - Authentic Dukkah would be hand ground.  I'm sure it would be more satisfying but I couldn't spare the time.

1. in a small pan roast the nuts until starting to brown.  Add the sesame seeds and the coriander and cumin until then start to give off their fragrant oils. 

2. take the mix off the heat to halt the cooking process (burnt is not good!) and put into a coffee grinder.  Add the remaining ingredients and grind to a coase powder.

3.transfer to a jar.  Will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.