Sunday, October 25, 2009

Dip Dip Dip...

(Does anyone remember the ad running in the 80s/90s in India?)

This is not an ad for tea bags, however, but a quick recipe for a spicy dip. We were invited to a birthday party last night where the food was Mexican-inspired, and this was my little contribution to the buffet table.

This is like a 7-layer minus a few layers.

I started by making the salsa. A few months ago, I shared my new favorite salsa recipe and got some great feedback, with folks writing in to tell me about their favorite way of making chile arbol salsa. Here's how I made it yesterday (five ingredients, count 'em):

1. In a small pan, heat 2 tsp. olive oil and saute 3-4 peeled smashed cloves of garlic and 4 dried arbol chiles for 30 seconds or so.

2. Place the fried garlic and arbol chiles in the food processor along with 1 cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes (or fresh if you're lucky enough to have them in season), 1 bunch cilantro and salt to taste. Pulse to process into a thick salsa.

To assemble the dip-

In a shallow dish, mix together 1 diced red pepper, 1 cup cooked black beans and a handful of cooked corn kernels.

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Pour on the salsa in an even layer.

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Spread with light sour cream and shredded Cheddar/Pepper Jack cheese. Garnish with sliced green onions (green parts only). Ta da!
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Serve with corn chips that are hefty enough to hold the nice chunky dip.
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The dip was tasty and vanished promptly once it was laid out. The only downside was that the salsa was a little watery and it looked quite messy- I'll have to work on making a thicker salsa.

Have a great week, everyone!

22 comments:

  1. That is one simple but delicious and colorful recipe Nupur.

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  2. i love layered dips..its always fun to see how much you get and whats next! :)

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  3. That is too funny. As soon as I saw the title of your post, the song came into my head - add some sugar, and some milk and it's ready to driiiiink! If you want it stronger, dip a little longer!

    The dip looks fantastic! Will have to give it a try one of these nights!

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  4. Oh yes!! dip..dip..dip.. and it's ready to sip!!! Taj mahal tea bags!
    The dip looks delicious, the pepper, corn and beans look so bright and colorful!

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  5. mouth watering Nupur. I remember the ad in full "if you want it stronger dip a little longer " dip, dip , dip

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  6. I'm guessing your dip was the hit of the party! It looks delicious.

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  7. Salsa looks awesome, I Love these layered dips. Had a similar one once but I guess it also had black olives and jalapenos and I recollect I was constantly searching them to get into my chunk :P

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  8. remember the ad very well... and love this dip!

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  9. Nupur,

    My recent craving of Pav-Bhaji led me to your website. Needless to say, I have been hooked since. So far I have tried four recipes and they were right on. To top that your write ups are so fun to read and pictures are always mouthwatering.

    The best part is that you are a girl next door to me.

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  10. Dip, dip , dip
    Add some sugar
    & it's ready to sip
    - right?

    Dip looks delicious!

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  11. Yes I do ! Doordarshan was the main source of entertainment in the 80s for us. I loved th e"I love you Rasna", "Jaya aur Sushma"- Nirma , Pudina hara ads :)

    I love the dip. Belated Diwali wishes .I hoped you had a good one. I made CHakli and Besan Ladu :)

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  12. Wow!! such a lovely colourful dish.

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  13. Indosungod- Thanks :) I thought the colors were very festive too!

    Superchef- I agree, it is fun to dig in and try to balance as much as you can on one chip :D

    Zibu- LOL you do remember the little jingle!

    Manasi- Was it Taj Mahal?! I remember every word of the jingle but not the brand, so much for advertising, right?

    Sreelu- You remember too :) we were dipping a little longer in this dip too ;)

    Lydia- It did seem to be popular :) You can't go wrong with these bold flavors, right?

    Kanchan- Oh yeah, I love olives and jalapenos in there too. I skipped jalapenos this time around because I was afraid it would get way too spicy.

    Raaga- We people of a certain age (ahem!) all seem to remember it :D

    Punita- Welcome to my blog :) I'm glad you found it, and relieved that the recipes worked! Hope to see you around the neighborhood.

    Meera- You forgot to "add some milk" LOL I'm trying to come up with something for RCI Parsi Food.

    Sheetal- LOL oh I totally loved all those ads too, don't forget "hamara bajaj"!
    Happy Diwali to you too, yes, we had a quiet but fun celebration.

    kamalabhoopathy- Thanks!

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  14. The salsa looks delicious. I had bought some green tomatoes in the hopes of making a green tomato pasta sauce- but this post makes me feel like making salsa instead..:).

    Oh and I didn't remember the dip dip dip ad (i kept thinking of the rhyme- dip dip dip my blue ship, sailing in the water..etc..lol) till i read the comment about it being a Taj tea ad. All the talk about the hamara bajaj and other ads is making me nostalgic (As if I needed a reason..:))

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  15. Your dip looks so colorful and appetizing. I often feature a chips and dip when having friends over, and this look like the perfect new recipe, thanks for sharing!!!
    And I do remember the dip-dip-dip ad. Some of the most famous jingles of that time had very memorable tunes.

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  16. The dip looks fantastic, perfect for the bday theme :-)

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  17. Wow!! I have never seen a layered dip - need to have a gathering just to make this wonderful dip Nupur! :)

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  18. This dip is simply looking gorgeous and so yummy yummy.., love it.., great colours too..,

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  19. the fun is in the layers entirely. Good looking dip and unusual combination.

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  20. Nupur,I am new to your blog and love reading it.
    For this salsa you mentioned using dried arbol chiles. Where can I get these?

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  21. Ohh I remember it very clearly, dip dip,dip, add a sugar & some milk & its ready to sip! Singing it right now :)

    Your dip looks so inviting!

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  22. Lavanya- Ooh, green tomato salsa sounds fantastic! I do remember the dip dip dip nursery rhyme too :) been a while...

    Namita- I think I enjoyed the ads much more than the regular programming back then!
    Yes, chips and dip are the perfect way to get friends noshing when they come over.

    Parita- Thanks!

    Miri- Layered dips are totally versatile, one can switch up the layers and get totally creative with whatever is on hand :) fun to eat too!

    jayasri- yes, I enjoyed the colors too :)

    Mallugirl- I agree- the fun is in assembling the layers and eating them!

    Aditi- Welcome! In the US, dried arbol chillies can be found in Mexican grocery stores and in stores selling international foods. Outside the US, I am not sure where you can find these. But one can substitute with any other dried peppers, or use a different salsa altogether.

    bhajyashri- I'm sipping it right now too :D my first of many cups for the day!!

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