Beetroot Salad with Dukkah & Whipped Feta

Sweet, earthy beetroot pairs beautifully with the textural and fragrant sensation that is Egyptian dukkah – an aromatic mixture spice and nuts. Lastly, a light and salty whipped feta rounds off an combination of flavour, texture and colour. A winning combination for any Middle Eastern or North African feast.

I love simple salads I can prepare easily, and serve as part of a larger vegetable feast. This Beetroot Salad with Dukkah and Whipped Feta is one such triumph! Simple to prepare and jam packed with flavour. It's actually a flavour sensation on every level. Sweetness, sourness, saltiness and a warm lingering spice! It has it all!

The pairing of all the elements work in complete harmony with each other. Beetroot has such a sweet earthiness - it's crying out for something salty to act as a counterbalance. This is where feta comes into play - it's one of my most favourite pairings. Usually I'll just crumble Bulgarian feta (the best) over some roasted beets (have you tried my Beetroot & Feta Salad With Fresh Herb Dressing? It's a delight!) but combining it with Greek yoghurt and whipping it into a smooth, creamy base to the salad ensures you get the full combination with every spoonful. Yoghurt and beet are another great combo (try my Turkish Beetroot & Yoghurt Dip!) the sour, acidic notes are great with the sweet beetroot.

What's Ahead?

What is Dukkah?

Duqqa, du'ah, do'a, or dukkah is a Middle Eastern spice mix. Enjoyed from Egypt and all across the Middle East and Mediterranean it is a combination of nuts and spices, much like Za'atar - a dry spice mix, served as a condiment/dip with breads, vegetables and as a garnish to many soups, stews and salads. The ingredients of Dukkah vary from region to region, and indeed family to family, but loosely speaking, the core ingredients most always include hazelnuts, sesame, cumin and coriander. The ingredients are dry roasted, then ground into a coarse breadcrumb texture. This ensures a wonderful texture with a nutty, warm spice.

Why it works?

It's got ALL the texture and flavour! The light spiced crunch of the dukkah is so welcoming alongside the sweet beetroot and salty feta. The three work in complete harmony.

It's the perfect accompaniment to this salad with all it's soft, creamy texture. The spiced crunch at the end releases all manner of complimentary flavours to the earthy, sweet and sharp salad. Dukkah is available pre-ground, but like most things in the culinary world, the most flavourful versions are the home-made. My dukkah recipe is simple, but obviously, this dish will work with store-bought dukkah too.

So, as a dish to serve alongside a roasted meat or fish, this salad is superb - it brings a real punch of flavour that will pair wonderfully with almost anything. If you're vegetarian, this salad works well with other Middle Eastern recipes or Mediterranean recipes I've selected a few favourites below. If, like me, you're a fan of beetroot (one of my personal favourites!) you'll love this simple, health giving salad.

Stuff You'll Need

You can buy pre-made dukkah in many supermarkets these days, but it's very easy to make yourself at home. Here's what you'll need to make the whole salad happen.

• Dukkah - a simple combination of hazelnuts, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt. See, told you it was easy!
• Whipped Feta - this light and airy base to the salad is a combination of feta cheese, plain yoghurt, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and lemon juice.
• Beetroot - buy it pre cooked or like me, roast your own. Then season with a little wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Fresh Herbs - I go for grassy parsley but fresh dill and mint work well too. You could also use a little dried mint if you can't get fresh.

Step by Step

Making the salad is super easy. If you buy your dukkah pre-mad and beetroot pre-cooked, even simpler, but here's the full 'from-scratch' how-to which is hardly taxing!

1. Step 1 - Making the dukkah. Roast the hazelnuts, sesame, cumin and coriander on a tray ina 190º/375º oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and cool then pulse blend in a food processor until a rough breadcrumb texture. Season with salt and set aside.
2. Step 2 - Making the beetroot. Stab each beet deeply with a knife then wrap individually in foil (skin still on), bake in a 190º/375º oven for 50-60 minutes until soft (the size of the beets will dictate just how long - a knife should glide through the beet). Remove and cool then slide off the skins (wear some rubber gloves). Cut into small pieces then toss with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper. Set aside.
3. Step 3 - Whipping the feta. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend together the feta, yoghurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic until smooth.
4. Step 4 - Arranging the salad - Make a layer of the feta cheese on a large platter. Scatter over the beetroot and juices then sprinkle generously with the dukkah and finally parlsey. Drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil if you feel inclined.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

There really aren't any wrong combinations to serve alongside this salad, it works with so many other vegetable forward dishes from the Middle East, North Africa or the Mediterranean. It's a great partner to fish and seafood, poultry and meat dishes too. Try serving alongside my delicious Middle Eastern Lamb Kebabs or as a side to the wonderfully fragrant Chicken Pilaf.

• Fridge - this salad will keep well in the fridge for 5-6 days, if well covered in plastic wrap. Serve cold or leave for 30 minutes to serve at room temperature.
• Freezer - this dish is not recommended for freezing.

Ready to get cooking?

I do like a simple salad, and lots of them! See more of my favourites below - all of these will pair well together and there are a tonne more if you search the site under Middle Eastern/European etc. They're my favourite flavours so I have lots of great options.

This deliciously fragrant dukkah salad is one of the tastiest on the list and as you can see, not too much of a trial to make yourself at home. Be sure to give it a try and let me know if you enjoy!

More recipes

This salad plays well with likeminded flavours from around the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. Try creating a few (or all ) of these recipes and serve them on a giant table for everyone to dip, weave, scoop and fight over. Just be sure to invite me!

• Moroccan Matbucha – Tomato & Pepper Salad
• Palestinian Zucchini Dip
• Lamb & Eggplant Fatteh
• Turkish Pide – It’s not Pizza, it’s Pide!
• Hawaij Spice (Spice mix from Yemen)
• Freekeh Pilaf with Chickpeas
  
• Tomato & Feta Salad
  
• Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
• Harissa Hummus with Za’atar
• Baba Ghanoush
• Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb and Silverbeet
• Lebanese Lamb Marinade

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