Helen's Monday Munchies

You take about three tablespoons each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, and your nut of choice (I use almonds or macadamias) chopped coarsely. I put all these in a dry frying pan over medium high heat, and toast until the sesame seeds start going brown. You can add a little sea salt and maybe some chilli flakes if you like a little bite! Then I take it off the heat, and bit by bit, grind it up in my mortar and pestle (you can use a blender/spice grinder if it’s faster! But the smell when you crush it yourself… mmmm). You can then zest a whole lemon into it (adds a delightful flavour and fragrance!) and then it’s ready to go!

The best way to eat this by far, is to heat strips of Turkish bread in the oven, and have a dish of good olive oil nearby (I’m talking the yummy, green cold pressed stuff) then dip it in that and then the dukkah! HEAVENLY!!! This goes down such a treat when I have parties. Even my husband (a self confessed meat-and-potatoes man) has come to love it! We have been known to sprinkle this on many many things (including toasted sandwiches!) and it never fails to please.

My second recipe is kind of melded with the first. I take my leftover dukkah (I always make lots and store it for a couple weeks in an airtight container), say a couple tablespoons, mix it with some fluffed eggwhites, then drop a couple of handfuls of almonds in and mix it around. Then you dump the whole lot on an oven tray on some baking paper, and put it in the hot (200C) oven for about 15 minutes. Make sure the almonds are all separated or they’ll stick together! Then take them out and put them in a funky bowl for people to help themselves to! These keep also for a couple weeks – after that they can get stale and lose their flavour.

This doesn’t bear much resemblance to the usual hommous we make, Mum and I developed it to make it a bit more interesting!

Take a can of chickpeas (if you don’t have time to cook your own) and process them in the blender, add a teaspoon of soy sauce, a pinch of sea salt, a handful or chopped herbs (whatever’s in season – basil, oregano, parsley, thyme etc), a small finely chopped red onion, one clove of garlic, one teaspoon Dijon mustard, juice of one lemon, juice of one lime, aaand… I think a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. It’s yummy when we make our own chips to eat this on by cutting flatbreads into triangles and crisping them in the oven.

This became a fast favourite of mine a couple years ago. I was just coming into my coriander phase and adding it to everything (I think the Americans call it cilantro?) Anyhow, chop a whole sweet red pepper (or capsicum for those of us in Oz) a couple of ripe red tomatoes, a small red onion, and a couple of just ripe avocados. Top with a big bunch of chopped coriander, a good slug of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a splash of soy sauce/tamari. MmmmmMMM. So good on a hot day when everyone can dig in with corn chips.

This is an oddly surprising combination that works quite well together! Take an avocado (skinned and pitted of course) and pop it in the blender with a banana, and a handful of raspberries or strawberries. Blend until smooth. That simple! To make it a little sweeter, you can add a little honey or maple syrup. Also for a choccy twist, add a couple of teaspoons of carob powder. You have no idea how fudgy and good this makes it. We usually make excess and store it in the fridge – and sneak a spoonful every now and then!

I just made this recently for a party and it was to DIE FOR. I got a saucepan, 500mls of milk, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a can of evaporated milk (I don’t know if they’re the same thing – either way it was good!) and a tub of double cream. I simmered all these slowly along with about 5 cardamon pods (crushed them a little first to release their flavour). After I’d simmered them for a while, say 20 minutes, I strained the cardamon pods out. I then poured it into a baking tray in the freezer and mixed in a good cup of chopped macadamias (I’ve heard you can use pistachios). I stirred it every hour or so, so the nuts didn’t sink to the bottom, and then when it was mostly set, I spooned it into plastic sups and froze it solid. To serve, I just tipped them upside down on a plate, with a couple raspberries on the side. Make sure the cups are smallish - it's so sweet you can be tempted to eat a whole lot more than you need!

I love to serve either hot Chai tea in winter (you can make your own simmering vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise and tea in milk, but I think you can buy it most everywhere these days) or in summer I pop watermelon in the blender with some ice and mint and pour it into big glasses to eat with a spoon!