A sprinkle of hazelnut dukkah, a beautifully aromatic and incredibly delicious Middle Eastern blend of seeds, spices and nuts, adds so much flavour this simple and easy-to-make carrot soup.
Any leftover dukkah can be stored in a glass jar in your pantry. It is very lovely sprinkled over eggs; over grilled or roasted vegetables, salads or raw veggies; on soft goat’s cheese or cashew cheese; also with olive oil spread over sprouted or sourdough bread; or on top of avocado toast. Dukkah can also be sprinkled over hummus, beetroot dip or baba ghanouj, or onto soups for added flavour. It also makes a fantastic crust for chicken, fish, or lamb – just press the spice mixture over the meat, then grill or roast. If you have a some dukkah at hand dinner can be ready so quickly!
Carrot Soup with Hazelnut Dukkah
Ingredients
Carrot Soup:
- 2 tbsp butter , or olive oil
- 1 brown onion , thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 kg organic carrots , unpeeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
- 3 cups chicken bone broth , or chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup thick creamy natural yoghurt , or creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves , finely chopped
Hazelnut Dukkah:
- 1/2 cup roasted or activated hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot and gently cook the onion with a pinch of salt until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and then add the carrots and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.
- While the soup is cooking make the dukkah. Toast the sesame, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a dry frypan over a low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, for approximately 3 minutes. Add the hazelnuts, seeds, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend to a coarse mixture. You could also use a mortar and pestle.
- Let the soup cool a little and then puree with a stick blender until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Tope each bowl with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of dukkah and parsley.
Extra Ideas:
- Substitute the hazelnuts with pine nuts, almonds, pistachios or macadamias in the dukkah recipe.
- Roast the carrots in a 200C oven for 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender and a little brown, for a roasted carrot soup.
- Make a vegan version of this soup by using olive oil, vegetable stock and coconut yoghurt.
- Use a pre-made dukkah to make a very quick version of this soup. At The Health Emporium we love and sell beautiful dukkah mix from Herbies Spices.
