Latest news with #dips
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Five ways to make your own dips using ingredients you may already have
YOU'LL be loaded this summer with the latest food trend. Nibbles and dips piled with extras are everywhere, from hummus with falafel at Sainsbury's to Marks & Spencer's mascarpone with roas-ted tomatoes and Parmesan. But you can make your own using ingredients you may already have . . . HEAPED HUMMUS: Start with an inexpensive pot of basic hummus. Pour it into a bowl and transform it with a tasty topping. Roast a drained tin of chickpeas with olive oil and salt. Put this on top of the hummus with chopped fresh herbs or crispy onions. For something cheesy, crumble over Greek-style cheese, chopped olives or cucumber and a sprinkle of smoked paprika — or swap the cheese for cherry tomatoes. LOADED LEAVES: Sturdy lettuce such as little gem can hold a topping. Add shredded chicken, grated carrot and sliced cucumber then top with a dollop of mayo or drizzle of sauce. Make sweet satay with peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and a dash of soy sauce. For a fishy dish, mix tinned salmon with spring onion, plain yoghurt and a squirt of lemon juice, then add leaves. TOP YOG: You can give a yoghurt-based dip like Greek tzatziki a lift. Serve in a dish and load with chopped tomatoes, peppers, red onion, cucumber, parsley and pine nuts. Add a swirl of olive oil. CHIP FOR THE TOP: Loaded crisps are a great way to use up leftovers. Get a bag of tortilla or pitta chips, tip them on to a baking sheet and pour over some shop-bought salsa. Add chopped chicken, crispy bacon bits, sliced peppers, tomato chunks or olives. Finally, add grated cheese and bake until hot and bubbly. BETTER BANANAS: Fire up your fruit. Split open a banana and top with peanut butter, crumbled biscuits and honey. Or load the banana with chopped strawberries, blue-berries, nuts and a grating of dark chocolate. The Batch Lady shares her recipe for sundried tomato hummus All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability Deal of the day GIVE your feet a treat with the leopard-print heeled Mary Janes from Office, down from £55.99 to £18. Cheap treat FOR tasty comfort food, Gu's Hot Chocolate Melt In The Middle Puddings (2 x 90g) are down from £3.95 to £2.95 at Morrisons. Top swap TAKE dinner up a notch with the Romy speckle- glaze 12-piece stoneware dinner set from John Lewis, £75. Or serve up in style on the Reactive Blue set from Dunelm, £35. Shop & save 7 MAKE short work of tea time with four frozen favourites for £4.98 at Asda. With some of the deal's 13 items costing £2.48, including Birds Eye 12 Chicken Dippers, you could save almost 50 per cent. Hot right now PADEL is one of the fastest-growing sports, so join in the fun with Lidl's Padel Starter Kit, £14.99, including a racket, balls and bag. PLAY NOW TO WIN £200 7 JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle. Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered. Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Which dips are OK to buy, and which should I make?
Dips are a great unifier, whether they're married to a big bowl of crisps and crudites or served as a companion for a picnic spread. If there's hummus, cacik or borani in the picture, then it's a party. Happily, says David Carter, founder of Smokestak, Manteca and Oma in London, 'you can get a lot of good stuff in stores these days'. That said, he adds, anything involving vegetables is 'always going to be best when made fresh'. If your dip needs lead you to the shops, the trick is to create contrast. Much like getting dressed, you first need to consider the temperature. 'Let's say you have some shop-bought hummus,' Carter says. 'If you put that in a pan with a bit of hot water and maybe some lemon juice, then whisk, the hummus will loosen, turn creamy and completely change from the usual fridge-cold stodge.' Next, you've then got to accessorise your tub, which means toppings: 'A lot of our dips in the restaurants have some form of texture, whether that's crisp garlic, seeds or crisps,' he says. 'If you've got something like a silky-smooth labneh and think, how am I going to jazz this up, spiced chickpeas would be one answer.' Similarly, Carter tops his baba ganoush with a 'very hot' tahini sauce and some crisp artichokes: 'That's contrast exaggerated.' Sami Tamimi, author of Boustany (out in June), meanwhile, is not a fan of dips that take a lot of time, which is why you'll always find yoghurt or labneh in his fridge ('I don't make my own any more'). They're an easy win, and can be quickly turned into a dip with the addition of a squeeze of lemon, some garlic and whatever spices or herbs (fresh or dried) you have to hand: 'If you're doing a barbecue – especially if there's a fatty piece of fish or meat involved – mix yoghurt with tahini, and add a little sun-dried tomato, some garlic, herbs and a lot of lemon juice.' If, like Tamimi, your entertaining MO is to pile a load of dishes in the middle of the table, you also have to draw the line somewhere. For Tamimi, that line is tzatziki: 'I just buy it, but the thing with readymade dips is that they don't taste fresh, so you need to add a bit of zing.' That's not to say you need to get all fancy, mind: just a squeeze of lemon, a bit of lemon zest and/or some fresh herbs (think mint, coriander) will 'bring it to life'. While we're at it, no one is ever making their own taramasalata (no arguments, please), so head to the shops and that's a 'really nice addition to brunch with bagels and smoked salmon', Tamimi adds. One dip that you'll never catch him buying, however, is hummus: 'That's a big no-no. Shop-bought versions have so many stabilisers, they always taste grainy and they're made with not enough tahini and not enough, well, everything!' Hummus, he insists, should be made fresh ('I boil more chickpeas than I need and freeze half for another day') and eaten within two days. 'There are nicer things you can buy, so, when it comes to hummus, just make it.' Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@
