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We just made some dukkah by blitzing a mixture of baked nuts/seeds: almonds, pistachio, fennel, coriander, sesame, caraway, cumin (and raw chia at the very end).

It smelled and tasted amazing, but it seemed very wet; not dry and powdery like dukkah at all. We thought we could fix that by spreading it on a tray and baking gently (70degC) to remove the moisture. However, after 20 minutes, it seems no drier, so we're thinking its oily (like a nut butter).

Any advice on how to have avoided this is in the first place? Any way to correct this now, after having made it?

aaaidan
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I don't have any ideas on truly fixing this batch, but I think I know what the problem is.

I think you over-processed it and blitzed it into a paste. It should be a little more coarsely ground, probably only about 30s in the blender or food processor, otherwise everything releases too much oil.

In order to achieve this consistency quickly, pre-crush or grind any herbs and spices you will be using and coarsely chop (and probably toast) the seeds and nuts. Pulse it together briefly in your grinding implement of choice, watching the texture carefully, and stop as soon as any of it starts getting too fine.

For your current batch, you could either simply use it as it is or turn it into something else. I expect it could be a good base for a new take on mouhoumara or even pesto, or you could possibly add finely ground bread crumbs to take up some of the oil or add some ground olives to make a tapenade. I imagine it would go well as part of a stuffing mix for tomatoes or bell peppers, or mixed with olive oil and lemon to form a topping for a salad. :-)

NadjaCS
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  • Thank you so much for this very helpful and comprehensive answer! I love your suggestions for making use. We ended up adding a bit of olive oil, and spreading it on crackers, which was great. – aaaidan Oct 18 '15 at 06:58