Long before Bush Dukkah went into a jar in Tasmania, dukkah was a bowl on an Egyptian table: toasted nuts, seeds and spice, crushed rough, meant for tearing bread through good olive oil. That habit, of oil carrying the blend rather than a shaker doing the work, is exactly why it turns into such a good marinade.
This side takes that idea and runs it through a barbecue crowd. Roast pumpkin and pan-fried zucchini go into the marinade while they are still hot, so every piece drinks in the lemon and spice as it cools. Make it in the afternoon, leave it on the bench, and it is ready before the first thing comes off the grill.
At a glance: Serves 4 as a side | Prep 15 min | Cook 20 min
Where dukkah comes from
Dukkah, sometimes spelled duqqa, has been part of Egyptian cooking for generations: a way of using up nuts and seeds by toasting and crushing them with cumin, coriander and sesame, then eating the mix scooped up with bread dipped in oil. It made its way into Australian kitchens as a dip-and-bread staple long before it turned into a pantry spice people cooked with.
Our Bush Dukkah keeps that basic idea, toasted nuts and spice ground coarse, built for oil, and swaps in an Australian native pantry. Macadamia and Almond give it body, Pistachio adds colour, Wattleseed brings a coffee-like depth, and Dried Kunzea Leaf runs through the spice mix, the same leaf we sell on its own for baking, tea and other savoury cooking. Same technique, different paddock.
Made for oil, not just for bread
Because dukkah was never meant to be shaken over a plate dry, it dissolves into a dressing better than most spice blends do. Whisked through olive oil and lemon juice, Australian Native Bush Dukkah thickens the marinade and leaves flecks of nut and spice through it, so the dressing looks like it is doing something, because it is.
Stir it through if you want the coarse crunch to survive into the bowl, or blitz the marinade for ten seconds if you would rather a smoother coat. Either way, it clings to hot vegetables far better than a thin oil and lemon dressing ever would on its own.
BBQ roast pumpkin and zucchini with Bush Dukkah marinade
Serves 4 as a side
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, sliced into 5mm rounds
- 1 cup (180g) pumpkin, diced into 1cm pieces
- 4½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Australian Native Bush Dukkah
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely diced red chilli (about ¼ of a long chilli)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
- ½ clove garlic, finely diced
- A pinch of Native Blend Pink Lake Salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 210°C conventional (190°C fan-forced).
- Toss the pumpkin with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt, spread it on a lined tray and roast for 20 minutes, until the edges are caramelised and a fork slides through the centre easily.
- While the pumpkin roasts, pan fry the zucchini rounds in a hot pan until golden on both sides. Work in batches if the pan is crowded, otherwise they steam instead of browning.
- Make the marinade in a large bowl: whisk the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the Bush Dukkah, lemon juice, chilli, garlic, coriander and a pinch of Native Blend Pink Lake Salt.
- As soon as the pumpkin and zucchini are ready, add them to the bowl while they are still hot and fold gently through the marinade until coated. This is the step that does the real seasoning, hot vegetables drink the dressing in rather than just wearing it.
- Leave everything to cool in the bowl to room temperature, at least 30 minutes, before serving.
Getting the marinade right
Our Bush Dukkah contains Macadamia, Almond and Pistachio. Leave it out, or skip this recipe, if you are cooking for nut allergies.
- Eggplant is the easiest swap. Slice it thick, pan fry until golden, and marinate it exactly the same way.
- The chilli sits in the background at a teaspoon. Leave it out for a milder table, or keep the seeds in if your crowd likes heat.
- Serving it the next day? Wake it up with an extra squeeze of lemon and another tablespoon of chopped coriander before it goes out.
Bringing it to the barbecue
Serve at room temperature, never fridge cold, or the oil and spice stop tasting of anything. It sits happily on a table for hours next to grilled sausages, lamb chops or a roast chicken, and needs no reheating or last-minute attention.
Add a final scatter of Bush Dukkah just before it goes out, so the crunch survives the trip from kitchen to table.
Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring it back to room temperature before serving, cold mutes the flavour.
Our Australian Native Bush Dukkah earns its shelf space well beyond this marinade. It is just as good stirred through roasted vegetables, crusted onto lamb, or spooned over a bowl of yoghurt. If you liked this one, our Dukkah Marinated Spring Veggies uses the same jar in a lighter, herb-forward dressing built for the first warm weekend of the year, rather than a barbecue table in full summer.
