snacks:

roast carrot and cumin dip

Published 21st May 2017

Although dips are readily available at supermarkets, I still love being able to make my own, knowing exactly what goes into them. A dip is actually really easy to make (especially if you have a food processor). They make a very nutritious snack if served with veggie sticks, are great to throw on a platter as a starter with some crackers and can conveniently be spread on wraps or bread and make part of a sandwich.

Roasting the carrots, although time consuming, adds a delicious caramelisation flavour to this dip that you wouldn’t get if you were to steam or boil the carrots in order to tenderise them. So, go to the effort, pop them in the oven and keep yourself busy for an hour and they will be ready before you know it.

 
 
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I first made this Roast Carrot and Cumin Dip close to a year ago when we had too many carrots coming out of our garden and they were so sweet and small, so rather than bothering to peel them, I decided to wash them, roast them and blend them. The sweetness of the carrot really makes the difference, so if your carrots are a bit flavourless, add some honey when roasting them (which is what I have done this time).

Happy dipping!

 
 
 
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Ingredients:

Makes ~500g of dip

  • 4 medium carrots

  • 1 tsp honey

  • 1 tbs olive oil

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 4 heaped tbs natural yoghurt

  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

  2. Peel and roughly chop the carrots, then place into a plastic bag or container with a lid, add the oil and honey and shake to coat.

  3. Place carrot onto baking tray and cook for ~1 hour or until the carrot is tender.

  4. Allow carrot to cool completely.

  5. Once cool, place carrot, garlic, cumin and yoghurt into the food processor and blend on high until smooth. You made need to stop the food processor to scrape the sides.

  6. With the blade still running, gradually add the lemon juice and blend until combined. If you are after a runnier dip, add some more lemon juice or some water.

  7. Serve with veggie sticks, crackers or grilled pita bread

  8. Will keep for ~4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

    **This batch makes 500g of dip, so if you can’t see yourself getting through that quantity in 4-5 days, then try halving the recipe.