Dips can be a party starter, part of a mezze or antipasto spread, or even an easy super with some salad and delicious bread. From Europe, through the Middle East to Asia, here are some of my favourite dip recipes.
Sambal Terasi Goreng Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Indonesian cooking class! Sambal terasi goreng is the most common of the many sambals found throughout Indonesia. Sambal means chilli sauce and terasi is Indonesia’s pungent shrimp paste, virtually identical to Malaysian belacan and similar to Thai gapi. Sambal terasi originated in Java, where it’s […]
Bagna Cauda Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Northern Italian cooking class! From the landlocked region of Piedmont pressed against the Alps in north-western Italy, bagna càuda was originally a peasant dish that made the most of winter’s limited vegetables by dressing them in a rich garlicky sauce. Bagna means ‘bath’ and càuda, ‘hot’, […]
Muhammara Muhammara is an easy Turkish capsicum and walnut dip that’s so delicious, you’ll be whipping it up to serve alongside everything. It’s especially good with seafood and a wonderful addition to a mezze table. I like to oven roast capsicum as the slower cooking gives a deeper flavour. But if you’re short on time, […]
Borani Laboo (Persian Beetroot & Yoghurt Dip) Borani (sometimes written burani or boorani) are Persian vegetable dips made with a tangy yoghurt base, they’re ideal for stimulating appetite and cutting through rich stews and other dishes. Spinach is commonly used and there’s a delicious eggplant version. I love the earthy flavour of this beetroot borani, […]
Potted Trout Like this recipe? You’ll love my online British cooking class! Potting is an old English technique for preserving meat or seafood by storing it under a layer of fat, similar to French confit or rillettes. The food was traditionally cooked thoroughly to eliminate excess moisture then packed into a ceramic pot. Meats with […]
Beetroot Leaf Boorani Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Fresh crisp beetroot leaves make a great addition to a salad or a Persian herb platter (sabzi khordan), but they tend not to be valued in Australia. They’re generally chopped off the beets and thrown out, so they’re usually not in great […]
Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Bademjan is Farsi for eggplant, kashk is fermented whey, and kashke bademjan (roasted eggplant dip) is one of my favourite Persian dishes. My friend Parya-joon made a huge bowl of it for my last birthday party which was a great […]
Skordalia Skordalia, Greece’s famous garlicky white dip, is sometimes made with bread as the thickening agent, sometimes with ground almond and sometimes potato. I love chef Janni Kyritsis’ version using both bread and almond as it gives a lovely rich flavour. Any leftover will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days and is delicious slathered […]
Broad Bean Bruschetta Every meal at Lucio’s Paddington restaurant started with bruschetta, a slice of delicious toasted Italian bread, topped with a mound of something seasonal. I love using tender young broad beans during their short spring season to make this broad bean bruschetta. In summer it’s often diced ripe tomatoes; sliced sauteed mushrooms are […]
SouthernHam Salad The South is famous for smoked ham. It’s fried for breakfast, sliced for sandwiches and popular in this party favourite. It’s called a salad, but is really more of a dip or spread, perfect for serving alongside its retro cousins, pimento cheese dip (see video below) and devilled eggs, for an impressive start […]
