Sauces and Dips

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These were earlier listed on chutneys page (despite technically not belonging there). But now that my chutney repertoire is expanding day-by-day. I thought, would better give them a page of their own.  

Pesto

I do love it so! Goes beautifully with pasta, or just as a dip. 
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I have tried other types of cheese as well)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Hummus

A family favorite, and a very versatile recipe. You can practically add anything and make infinite variations.
The core ingredient is of course, Chickpeas - soaked overnight and pressure-cooked with salt and water for ~30 minutes. Keep them in fridge, and take some out whenever you want to make the dip. Should survive for at least a week.
Some other ingredients which need to be around:
  • EVOO
  • Garlic
  • Pepper
  • Lemon
  • Tahini/Freshly roasted til - I usually just throw some til in a dry pan and roast for 3-4 minutes. Then dry-grind before I add it to Hummus blender. 
  • Cumin - I usually (nay, always) have some freshly roasted and ground cumin close-by.
Throw all these in a blender, and you are good to go. But hummus is nothing without some variations. So here are some ideas:
  1. Put some chopped beets, large green chillies and garlic in an oven tray and brush with EVOO. Roast in oven at 230 C for 20 minutes or so. Add these to blender as well.
  2. If there are olives at home, add them in the blender at then end, and just pulse them so a bit of graininess stays.
  3. Roasted red capsicum can be roasted (as in bullet1) instead of beets, along with chillies and garlic.
Over-all, I have found that adding some form of chillies really peps up the hummus, otherwise it is a bit bland for Indian palate. Also, you can top it with some chilli powder/sumac at the end.

Serving Ideas:
  • Top with chopped cucumber, lemon juice and pomegranate seeds.
  • Serve with home-made papdi/khakhra/chips/nachos.
Also, a good link to check for a masoor-daal version:

Muhammara

  • 1-2 red pepper - roasted and peeled 
  • 1 cup chopped pecans/walnuts, lightly toasted
  • 1 tbsp pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
Pound it in a mortar to get a nuttier texture.

Greek 7-layer dip

To go with pita pockets :)
  • Hummus - spicy and tangy! 
  • tzatziki - thick yoghurt and grated cucumber, with some roasted cumin - cool and fresh!
  • roasted peppers - red/yellow. Alternatively, sautéed peppers
  • pickled cucumber - toss chopped cucumber in water with sugar and salt for some time.
  • tomatoes
  • olives
  • crumbled feta cheese - for the fat quotient!
Ref: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/seven-layer-mediterranean-dip/ 

Pita pockets recipe at:

Beetroot Walnut dip

Came across this on instagram today on @dillifoodies channel - will definitely try out soon!
  • 2 medium boiled beetroot - am planning to use roasted beets instead
  • ⁠1/2 cup walnuts
  • ⁠1/2 cup Chopped Green onion
  • ⁠2-3 garlic cloves
  • ⁠4 tbsp olive oil
  • ⁠Salt to taste
  • ⁠1tbsp Smoked paprika - will use chilli powder
  • ⁠1tsp black pepper powder
  • ⁠1tsp roasted cumin powder
  • ⁠Lemon juice
  • ⁠50 gm Crumbled paneer

Paneer/Tofu Dip

Came across this recently on youtube, and it was a hit! We had it with some tikki's but it can go with a variety of things.
  • Tomatoes, Peppers, Garlic, Green chilli - roasted in oven for ~30 minutes at max temperature
  • Cool it down, and blend with ~200g paneer, salt, oregano.
  • Add 2-3 tbsp water if necessary.

Roasted Pumpkin Dip

@26 Oct, 2025 The original recipe coupled it with boiled quinoa. I am planning to try with foxtail millets today.

  • Water - 2 cups
  • Pumpkin diced- 1 cup
  • Garlic - 4 cloves
  • Coconut milk- 1/2 cup
  • Paneer - 150 gm
  • Salt, Black pepper, oregano, chilli flakes
Cook pumpkin and garlic in a pan, add some water and let it get soft. Add coconut milk and paneer, and the spices. Let cool, and make a dip in a blender.
  • Broccoli - 1 cup
  • Mushroom - 1 cup
  • Yellow bell pepper - 1 cup
  • Red bell pepper- 1 cup 
  • Boiled baby corn - 5
  • Boiled Quinoa- 1 cup
Saute' the vegetables in a pan, add boiled quinoa/millets and serve! Top the bowl with plenty of pumpkin dip.




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