I love to serve an assortment of dips when I entertain – it’s a great way to feed a crowd because if you vary the base ingredients and flavor profiles you can pretty much guarantee that everyone will find something to enjoy. Plus, most of the prep work can be done in advance so there’s no last-minute scrambling to get food prepped before guests arrive. Bonus! Super Bowl Sunday is probably the biggest “chips and dip” day of the year , so I think now is the perfect time to share this awesome recipe for my spicy lentil dip. With a savory Middl Eastern twist thanks to the addition of harissa, preserved lemon, and toasted spices, it pairs beautifully with pita chips and assorted crudités. It’s quick and easy to make, packed with vegan protein from the lentils, and a perfect addition to your game day spread.
Ready to get to it?
Add your rinsed lentils, kombu, bay leaf, crushed garlic, and a teaspoon of kosher salt to a saucepan. Cover it by two inches with water or low-sodium stock, and bring to a simmer. Once things are bubbling, adjust the heat to maintain that simmer, and cook the lentils until they start to fall apart – this should take about 5-7 minutes from the time it starts simmering.
Discard the aromatics and drain the lentils, being sure to reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid (you’ll need to blend some of it into the dip).
See how some of the lentils look fluffy, almost like they burst open? You want them on the verge of falling apart like that. Add them to your blender or food processor, pour in about ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid, and set the rest aside.
Rinse and dry the saucepan, set it back over medium heat, and add the olive oil. When the oil starts shimmering, add the shallot and a pinch of salt, and fry the shallot for about 90 seconds until it’s tender and golden, stirring frequently.
Add the minced garlic and the whole cumin and coriander seeds, and continue cooking for another minute or so, stirring well, until the seeds are very fragrant and deeply browned.
Add the harissa paste, turn off the heat, and stir everything together.
Let the residual heat from the pan toast the harissa just until the color darkens.
Scrape the harissa mixture into the lentils, and add the preserved lemon rind, fresh lemon juice, and tahini.
Cover and blend until you have a silky puree, drizzling in more cooking liquid about a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you prefer (I like mine pretty thick so I use a total of about ½ cup cooking liquid). Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper; you can even add more harissa if it’s not quite spicy enough for you. Blend again until the additional seasonings are incorporated, and you’re done!
If you’re looking for more snacks to add to your Super Bowl spread, I’ve got you covered. Hope you all enjoy the game. Go Rams!
- 200g (1 cup) dried red lentils, rinsed in cool water and drained
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic, 1 lightly crushed, 1 minced
- 1” x 3” strip kombu
- Water or low-sodium vegetable stock
- Kosher salt
- 10 ml (2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp finely minced shallot
- 1 tsp whole cumin seed
- 1 tsp whole coriander seed
- 20-30g (4-6 tsp) harissa paste*, depending on heat level
- Rind from ½ preserved lemon, drained and chopped
- 15 ml (1 Tbsp) fresh lemon juice
- 32g (2 Tbsp) tahini
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp finely cilantro or parsley for garnish
- Cook lentils: Add lentils, bay leaf, crushed garlic, kombu, and 1 tsp kosher salt to a medium saucepan. Cover by 2 inches with water or vegetable stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 5-7 minutes until lentils are tender and starting to fall apart (they’ll look fluffy, like grains of wild rice or popcorn that have burst open). Discard kombu, bay leaf, and garlic. Drain lentils, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Transfer lentils to a food processor or blender, add ¼ cup cooking liquid, and set remainder aside.
- Fry aromatics: Rinse and dry saucepan, return to stove over medium heat, and add olive oil. When oil is shimmering, add shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden, 60-90 seconds. Add minced garlic, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and continue stirring until seeds are fragrant and deeply toasted. Add harissa paste, turn off burner, and cook over residual heat for 30-60 seconds until harissa darkens in color.
- Blend dip: Scrape harissa mixture into lentils, and add preserved lemon rind, fresh lemon juice, and tahini. Process until smooth, drizzling in cooking liquid by the tablespoon until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and even more harissa if desired), and blend briefly to combine.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with chopped herbs, and serve with crackers or crudités for dipping.
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