Layered Chutney Dip

Holiday season is always loaded with rich food and irresistible desserts, which means we end up gaining a few more dreaded pounds by the time we finally reach Valentine’s Day in February which is also my husband’s birthday. This year I thought instead of starting the new year with I-need-to-lose-10-pounds-resolution, why not create festive food mostly with ingredients that won’t weigh on the conscience and waistline later on. This Layered Chutney Dip is one such conscious effort to party without guilt.

New Years Eve usually means a big gathering of friends at our place but this year has been so busy and hectic for our entire family for various reasons that we have decided to enjoy the holidays just being lazy, reading books, watching back to back movies and seasons of our favourite TV programmes and playing board games together. This kind of fun is not complete without finger food – lots and lots of finger food which can easily cross the line into junk food.

To stop that from happening, I’ve stocked the fridge with healthish (homemade) alternatives. There are boxes of chopped vegetables for ready to eat salad, assorted frozen kebabs, boiled chickpeas, roasted corn and sweet potatoes, and a variety of dips and chutneys to indulge in. Not only these foods are easy to mix n match for a quick finger food platter but also fun to eat, especially the dips and chutneys layered together in a glass jar look beautifully festive and are handy to use whenever required. Instead of layering all the dips in one big bowl, you can layer them in 3-4 smaller jars so that one jar gets used at one time and all the dips are not soiled together.

These Layered Chutney Dips in a jar are salty, spicy, sour and creamy – everything that can make your party come to life. Also these pretty little jars make excellent hostess gifts.

Tip – Don’t add any extra liquids into chutneys because they need to be pretty thick so that the layers don’t bleed into each other.

Ingredients:
For Chickpeas Dip:
1+1/2 cup boiled chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup tamarind paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons dessicated coconut
Salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

For Tomato Chutney:
5 medium tomatoes, puréed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon olive oil

For Green Chutney Dip:
1 cup chopped coriander (stems and leaves)
1/4 cup mint leaves
4 green chilli peppers
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic
1 cup cashews or peanuts
1 cup thick yogurt or paneer cheese

For Topping:
Finely chopped onions, radish, carrot, olives, cucumbers, pickled jalapeños.

This Is What You Do:
For Chickpea Dip – Lightly toast cumin seeds, red chilli flakes and coconut on a skillet. Add all the ingredients of the dip to a food processor or blender and make smooth puree.

For Tomato Chutney – Add oil to a small sauce pan. Add cumin and nigella seeds, allow them to sputter. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, black pepper, vinegar, sugar and salt.

Cook till the liquids are slightly reduced (5 minutes). Dilute corn flour with a little water, add to the tomato chutney. Keep cooking and stirring till the sauce thickens (another 2-3 minutes) .

For Green Chutney – add all the ingredients of the chutney, except yogurt/cheese, to a food processor or pound by hand to make a coarse mix of herbs, spices and nuts. Do not add any water or liquid to blend.

Fold in the green chutney into thick yogurt or paneer cheese.

To assemble – layer the three chutneys in a glass bowl or jar. Top with crunchy toppings of your choice. Serve with potato wedges, toasted bread, fresh vegetables, papadums, corn tortillas or crackers.

Serves 8-10