A 1 minute Dip

Anecdote

Sarbani and I wore gold dust for parties at eighteen. Flowery printed frocks, mismatched lipsticks and mismatched men. We met early in life and there was no going back. We indulged in many things together, college, economics, 6 AM phone calls, junk jewellery, early marriages, corporate careers and motherhood.

I taught her the best way to make Khao Suey. Or so as I thought. Because Sarbani’s mind has hands, legs and a mouse of its own. She insisted on making Khao Suey minus the coconut milk. To my absolute horror she wanted to make a broth with gram flour and use that as the principle medium. I would politely nod when she would make these bizarre suggestions and meekly protest too as I am a die-hard conformist. 

Sarbani pursues life with passion and euphoria. She also perfects whatever she does and leaves no detail unnoticed. She writes, she works, she runs a home, she learns, she reads, she parties, she smokes and she lives. She taught me how to make this dip with a twist.

PS: And she has invited me for dinner next Saturday where the main course is Khao Suey.  

Stuff that you must have:

Cheese Spread
Sour yogurt or sour cream 
Garlic paste
Chillie flakes
Olive oil

What to do:

·     Preparation time: 1 minute

·     Take 4-5 table spoons of cheese spread + 1 tablespoon of sour yoghurt or sour cream. Add half a teaspoon of garlic paste and sprinkle chilli flakes on it. Whip with a fork. This mixture should neither be too thick, nor too thin – the consistency of humus, I would say. Set it in a pretty bowl, then add olive oil to it. The olive oil will float above the cheese paste. Dip the bread through the oil and into the paste before devouring it. The taste is a surprise in your mouth.

How to serve:

In a pretty bowl. Accompanied by bread (assorted or sticks) or anything else actually. Maybe vegetable sticks or wafers or crackers. It’s an instant hit at a party, goes well with wine - or anything really! Try Pita.

Trivia:

Alton Brown, the author of several cooking how-to books, suggests that a dip is defined based on its ability to "maintain contact with its transport mechanism over three feet of white carpet".
Dip is a very widespread food. Forms of dip are eaten all over the world. The name comes from the fact that you don’t spread this sauce on the food but you “dip” the food into the sauce.