Spicy Egyptian Dukkah With Chickpea Flour Recipes

EGYPTIAN DUKKAH RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the hazelnuts and almonds in a dry cast iron pan (do NOT add oil). Toast briefly over medium-high heat, tossing regularly, until the nuts gain some color (watch for nuts to turn a nice golden brown). Transfer to a side dish for now.
• Place the sesame seeds in the same skillet and return to the heat. Toast over medium heat, tossing regularly, until the sesame seeds turn golden brown (this will be fairly quick so watch carefully).
• Add the toasted nuts and sesame seeds to the bowl of a small food processor fitted with a blade. Add the pistachios, fennel seeds, spices, and a generous dash of kosher salt. Pulse for a few seconds until you reach a nice coarse mixture (Do not over process the dukkah. The mixture should not be too fine. See photos and video for exact texture).
• Transfer the dukkah to a bowl to serve. Add a small bowl of extra virgin olive oil and your favorite bread for dipping (I like pita bread or even Jerusalem bagel). You can also store the dukkah in a tight-lid jar for up to 2 weeks to use as a topping for salad, soup, chicken, meats, or roasted vegetables!

DEEP-FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH CRISPY DUKKAH COATING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together dukkah, cornstarch (or flour), baking powder and salt. Whisk in sparkling water. Depending on the consistency of your dukkah, the batter may seem thin, but try deep-frying a few pieces of cauliflower first to see if you want to thicken it with a little more cornstarch or flour.
• Pour oil into a wok or wide saucepan to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 360 to 375 degrees. Set up a sheet pan with a rack on it next to pan. Cover rack with a few layers of paper towels. Have a spider or deep fry skimmer handy for removing cauliflower from oil.
• Place a few pieces of cauliflower in batter and, using tongs, turn them over several times to coat thoroughly. Transfer to hot oil and fry until golden brown, which should not take more than a couple of minutes. Flip over with spider to make sure coating is evenly fried. It is important not to crowd pan and to let oil come back up to temperature between batches. After first batch you can decide if you want to add a little more flour to batter.
• Using the spider, remove cauliflower from oil, allowing excess oil to drip back into pan, and drain on the towel-covered rack. Sprinkle with salt right away if desired. Allow to cool slightly and serve.