Duqqa Squash with Bulgur Wheat, Zhug and Tahini Yoghurt

I've been making a variation of this dish for years. It's a lovely combination of Egyptian, Palestinian and Yemeni flavours coming together in one pretty healthy tasty dish. The duqqa the hero in this dish - the spice mix provides both flavour and texture which runs throughout the dish. This is a great one to make ahead of time and batch cook or have for lunch the next day.

Please don't be put off if you've not heard of some of the stuff in the title. See below for some simple translations of what some of the main constituent parts of this dish involve:

• Duqqa - A chunky Egyptian spice mix consisting of sesame, coriander and cumin seeds, paprika, salt and pepper

• Zhug - A spiced Yemeni herb paste, similar to chimichurri or salsa verde

• Tahini - A sesame seed paste, often used in hummus

• Harissa - A North African chilli paste made with regional chillis

You can buy tahini and harissa now at most supermarkets, and zhug and duqqa are easy to make - scroll down to see how!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• For the Duqqa

  • 3 tbsp coriander seeds

  • 3 tbsp cumin seeds

  • 1 tbsp sumac

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika

  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds

  • 1 tbsp chilli flakes

  • 1 tbsp fennel/caraway seeds

  • Salt and Pepper to taste

• For the Zhug

  • 20g parsley

  • 20g mint leaves

  • 10g dill

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 tbsp dukkah

  • 1 green chilli

  • Olive oil

• 1 butternut squash

• 200g bulgur wheat

• 300g yoghurt

• 50g tahini

• 1 lemon

• 1 red onion

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 50g feta cheese

• 100g radishes

• 2 tbsp harissa paste (ideally rose harissa)

Method

1. To make the Duqqa, toast all the spices and seeds in a pan on a low/medium heat until fragrant. Mix together (or lightly crush together in a pestle and mortar) and set aside. NB: This recipe may leave some spare - store in an empty spice container and it will keep for ages.

2. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Peel and slice your squash into 2cm slices. Cut those into long triangles (as in picture). Add oil, seasoning and 4 tbsp duqqa. Mix thoroughly and bake in the oven for 30 mins until brown and cooked through.

3. To make the Zhug, combine the herbs, zest and juice of the lemon, roughly chopped chilli, Duqqa and oil in a blender or pestle and mortar and blitz until chunky.

4. Slice the red onion into half moons. Add to a mug and pour over boiling water. Leave for 5 mins and drain. Add on the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix together and set aside.

5. Cook the bulgur wheat according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

6. To make the yoghurt, mix the yoghurt with the tahini, zest and juice from the lemon, and some olive oil. Taste and add seasoning, a little bit of honey, and water to adjust to your preferred taste and consistency.

7. Crumble the feta cheese and finely slice the radishes. Mix both in with the cooled bulgur wheat, along with olive oil and seasoning.

8. To serve, lay down some of the bulgur wheat mix on a plate/bowl. Place the squash pieces on top, drizzle over some of the yoghurt, add on small dollops of the Zhug and harissa paste. Add on the pickled onions, sprinkle over some of the Dukkah and serve.

If you do end up making this, I'd love to hear from you. Try to put some effort into writing these recipes, and love it when they have an impact and people enjoy making them. Drop me a DM with a picture of tag me in the results - @OTCooks_Eats on insta. Happy cooking!

OT x