Yoghurt Dips

These are my all-time favorites and something absolutely easy to rustle up – yoghurt dips. An easy find in almost every Indian Kitchen is yoghurt; it is the perfect base for a scrumptious dip. You could have it with chips, potato wedges, crudities grilled chicken or even use them as a sandwich spreads. 

The secret to a good dip is in the consistency and in case of yogurt dips means having thick creamy yogurt. The moment I hear a whisper in the house that we are having guest over I run to the kitchen and pour a box yogurt into a muslin cloth and hang it for about  two hours (depending on how much water the yogurt has) to drain the water and voila.. creamy hung yogurt or Greek yogurt (also called chakka dahi in Hindi).

The best thing about these yoghurt dips is, once you get a hang of the basics you can experiment as much as you like and have a new creation every time. Its best to prepare these and leave them in the fridge for an hour before serving as it allows the ingredients to mix well and enhances the flavor.

Garlic Chilli Dip

1 cup hung yoghurt

5 small garlic cloves crushed coarsely in a mortar and pestle (add on more if you’re fond of garlic)
2 tsp of dried chives
1-1 ½ tsp of red chilli flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
A few drops of red Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste
1 ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

In a pan heat olive oil for about 30 seconds on a high flame. Add the garlic and stir it around till it turns light brown in colour. Add chill flakes and take it off the flame.  Pour this into the yogurt and mix well. Add tabasco, chives and salt to taste and mix. Leave some chives to sprinkle on the top. As a variation I sometimes omit the chives and add another clove of garlic.

 

Yoghurt and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

¾  cup hung yoghurt

¼  cup mascarpone cheese
5-6 drops of Tabasco sauce (red)
3 small garlic cloves crushed coarsely in a mortar and pestle
4 tablespoon of coarsely ground roasted red bell peppers
 ½ tsp of red chilli flakes (or more depending on how hot you like it)
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

In a pan heat olive oil for about 30 seconds on a high flame. Add the garlic and stir it around till it turns light brown in colour. Add chill flakes and take off the flame.  Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and add the garlic, chilli and oil mixture. Stir well. Add salt to taste.

For the recipe of roasted red peppers see the following post Click Here or adopt the easier way, buy the preserved roasted peppers from any gourmet store.

Cheesy Yoghurt Dip

1 cup hung yoghurt

4 tbsp grated processed cheese (add more if you like)
2 tbsp finely chopped onions

6-7 drops of Tabasco sauce (red)
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1½  tbsp finely chopped gherkins
1½  tbsp finely chopped black olives
a pinch of dried oregano
½ tsp red chilli flakes
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

To prepare the seasoned oil mixture, heat olive oil for about 30 seconds on a high flame. Add the onions and stir it around till it turns light brown in colour. Add chill flakes and take off the flame.  In a bowl mix rest of the ingredients, pour in the seasoned oil mixture and mix well. Remember, preserved gherkins and olives can be salty.

 

Note: if you love the flavor of extra virgin olive oil you could surely add more, just remember it will impact the consistency of the dip