Coat Hard-Boiled Eggs In This Toasty Spice For A Whole New Level Of Flavor

Hard-boiled eggs are easy to make, filled with nutrients, and have a simple flavor that works for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. That being said, they can be a little too simple without some extra seasoning. While many prefer basics like salt and pepper, that doesn't mean you can't get a little more creative with how you step up your hard-boiled eggs. One way to upgrade the flavor is to season them with a little dukkah spice blend.

Dukkah is a combination of nuts, seeds, and spices. To use this salty and nutty seasoning mix, there are a few easy things you can do. One option is to boil and peel the hard-boiled eggs as usual, cut them in half, and sprinkle the dukkah over the top. If you'd prefer, you can dip each bite in the spice as you eat or coat the whole outside with the stuff before digging in. To make the spices stick better, drizzle some olive oil over the egg first. You can do this with normal chicken eggs as well as quail eggs if you want to make an extra ritzy dish.

Dukkah is pretty easy to find and inexpensive to buy. Trader Joe's often stocks it, as do many Middle Eastern markets and even Walmart. There are multiple online sellers as well, if you don't have any of those stores near you. You can also make your own if you're feeling ambitious, but to do that, you should first understand this spice a little better. The exact ingredients for dukkah are hardly exact.

Also called duqqa and dukka, this spice blend is popular in Egypt and surrounding areas. There, it's a typical condiment for everything from bread to fish, and it can be dipped in or used as a topping. Its name means "to crush" or "to pound" in Arabic, and this is because the ingredients are ground using a mortar and pestle. As to what ingredients are used, there's no precise recipe for dukkah. Instead, it usually consists of some kind of nut, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander, and salt. Beyond that, every culture or person adds something extra, ranging from dried coconut to mustard seeds.

This means that it's easy to make yourself. First, pick your nut, with hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds being good options. Then, add the seed components, including coriander, cumin, sesame, and any others that suit your fancy, to a pan. Toast your seeds until they start to smell aromatic, then add them to a food processor or mortar and pestle with your nuts. Grind or pulse the mixture until it's as fine as you want it. Add any additional salt and ground spices, mix, and enjoy.

Once you get the spice tasting how you want, there are other ways to include it with cooked eggs. Use it as a topping on scrambled eggs to start your morning with toasty goodness. Mix it into your deviled egg filling for a little crunch and added nuttiness. You can even use dukkah-seasoned sliced hard-boiled eggs to upgrade store-bought bagged salads. This is a versatile spice blend for anything savory, and you can always tweak your dukkah mixture until it's something you really love.