 We never outgrow our love for a good dip. Photo copyright Mike Panic.
November 2005
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Indian Layered Dip
Fast & Festive Fusion Cuisine
Looking for inspiration this party season? Look to the East.
Ever since the smashing success of our first seven-layer Mexican dip in college—bright white sour cream, taupe refried beans, green guacamole, red chili with kidney beans, shredded orange cheddar, topped with sliced black olives and green scallion tops, layered in a glass bowl to create a centerpiece that as was eye-catching as it was palate-seducing—we’ve been captivated by layered dips.
The purpose of this article is to present an Indian layered dip, but you can create a layered dip on almost any theme. Start with sour cream and/or yogurt. You can use cream cheese, but you need to mix it with sour cream or you’ll end up with a very thick and super-caloric end product. We prefer using FAGE Total Greek Yogurt—the fat-free version works as well as sour cream for a fraction of the calories. Or, if it’s appropriate for the flavor, we’ll use half yogurt, half mayonnaise.
Your own favorite recipe will depend on the kind of seasonings you prefer, and the intensity. To experiment, start with half a cup of everything and work on the proportions until you have a mix you think is perfect. You can alter any of the variations below by mixing two cloves of minced garlic into the sour cream or yogurt; adding chopped nuts, olives, or scallions.
Yes, the complete Indian dip recipe is below; but first, here are additional layered dip crowd-pleasers:
- Barbecue Layered Dip: Shredded barbecue pork or chicken (1-1/2 pounds), cooked whole kernel corn, canned black beans, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped tomato, sliced black olives. Layer the shredded meat, corn kernels, and beans in a shallow microwaveable bowl or large plate. Cover with plastic wrap, puncturing to create a vent. Microwave on High for about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Remove, sprinkle with shredded cheddar, then top with chopped tomato and olives. Serve with red and blue corn chips. (This is the only heated dip in our group.)
- California Layered Dip: Goat cheese, shredded basil, sun-dried tomatoes, slivered almonds. Serve with sliced baguette and olive bread.
- Greek Layered Dip: Hummos or baba ganoush, crumbled feta, pitted greek olives, chopped red, green, and yellow bell peppers, with accents of snipped dill and lemon zest. Serve with pita wedges.
- Italian Layered Dip: Shredded zucchini, shredded provolone or mozzarella, chopped plum tomatoes (fresh or canned), pesto. Serve with thin slices of Italian bread.
- Seafood Layered Dip: Shrimp or crab (or mixture), cocktail sauce, chopped water chestnuts, grated white cheddar, dill accents. Serve with rice crackers, water biscuits, and thin slices of baguette.
Click here if you’d like to suggest other layered dips.
Pepperoni Pizza Dip copyright © 1997 Land O’Lakes, Inc. Click here for recipe. |
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Indian Layered Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mango or other fruit chutney
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup honey roasted or salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup green scallion tips, chopped
Directions:
- Blend the sour cream and curry powder. Mix in the cheddar. Layer on the bottom of a glass casserole or a shallow bowl.
- Blend the yogurt with chutney and layer it on top of the sour cream and cheddar layer.
- For the top layer, create a design with the coconut, scallions, and peanuts: concentric circles, diagonals or stripes.
Serve with:
- Rice crackers
- Mini-papadums
- Crudités
- Blue corn chips
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| Papadums |
Rice Crackers |
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| Blue Corn Chips |
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