Beetroot Dip
Cooked beetroot blended with Greek yoghurt, garlic, lemon and dill into a bright pink dip.
Photograph credit: Beetroot Dip Duo by Alpha · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Making Beetroot Dip Ahead
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days.
How to Make Beetroot Dip
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Blend the beetroot, garlic and lemon juice for 1 minute until smooth.
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Add the yoghurt, cumin and salt and blend until completely smooth. Taste and add more lemon if needed.
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Spoon into a bowl, swirl in the olive oil and scatter with the dill.
A Few Pointers
- Use cooked beetroot, not pickled.
- Drain it well.
- Taste and add lemon.
- Serve cold.
Some Background
The first sign it works is the colour: a hot pink that makes the whole table look brighter. The taste is earthy and sweet, with a tang from the yoghurt.
Use cooked beetroot from a vacuum pack, not pickled in vinegar. Pickled beetroot makes a dip that tastes sharp and sour. Drain the beetroot well and pat it dry, since too much liquid thins the dip. Blend the beetroot with the garlic and lemon first, then add the yoghurt. The beetroot needs time to break down on its own, and the yoghurt turns pink as it joins in.
Blend for a full minute until the mixture is perfectly smooth, scraping down the sides once. Season with the salt and cumin, and taste. A little more lemon juice brightens the flavour if the dip seems flat.
Spoon into a bowl, swirl in the olive oil and scatter with the dill. Serve with pitta, raw vegetables or crackers. The dip stains everything, so use a white bowl at your own risk.
Good Alongside
Pitta bread · Raw vegetables · Crackers · Grilled lamb
If You're Missing Something
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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