Quick and easy – Roasted red pepper dip

One of my earliest memories is when I discovered bell peppers aka capsicums in different shapes, sizes and colors. I love cooking with green peppers and chilis. Peppers in general are so versatile, you can saute them, grill them, puree them. Today I am going to talk about my foolproof recipe of roasted red pepper dip. Easy to make and packed with punch.

This dip is easy to make and stays in the fridge for up to a week if packed well in a glass jar. It’s my bread spread for busy weekdays.

Prep time – 2 min

Cooking time – 10 min

Ingredients (1 small bowl or for 1 person):

1 large red pepper

1 small green chili

1 medium clove of garlic

Lime juice

Salt to taste

Oil for cooking

Coriander for garnish

 Get started!

Now, you can either choose to grill them in the oven or use a grill mesh like I used. Try to avoid putting peppers on the grill cold, straight from the fridge. To promote even cooking, remove peppers from the fridge at least 15 minute before grilling. Wipe the condensation off the pepper. Cut the stem off to avoid it from burning, Rub bit of oil all over the pepper along with some salt. Follow the same steps with garlic clove and chili. Once everything is oiled and salted, get to roasting,

Lay the pepper in the center of the uncovered grill, directly above the heat source. There should be an audible sizzle when the peppers touch the grill. Avoid cooler sections of the grill and indirect heat.

Keep rotating the peppers, chilis & garlic with a cooking tong. Green chili and garlic will take barely 1-2 minutes to get grilled overall. Remove them from the heat and keep aside to cool. Continue grilling the peppers till grilled overall. It takes about 8-10 min for peppers to be grilled completely. Once done and cooled, start peeling the peppers. The outer skin, if perfectly grilled should peel off easily. I try to keep some skin on, very little. It gives a nice burnt flavor to the dip.

De-seed and puree the peppers, green chilies and garlic in the mixture till smooth. You can use the whole green chili (keep the seeds in) if you want a bit of heat in the dip…

Season the dip with chopped coriander and freshly squeezed lime juice. Adjust the salt as per your taste – remember you have already rubbed salt on the ingredients prior to grilling. This dip turns out to be sweet, spicy and tangy at the same time!

Enjoy fresh with a crusty bread or store in sterilized glass jars. A perfect substitute for the same old boring ketchup and store-bought dips, this is healthy and tasty.

Why don’t you try making this at home and let me know your thoughts on this recipe?

Love,

The Nomadic Gourmet