Masala Lentil Dip

Nomz attempt at my favorite Trader Joe's dip

Posted by Emily W.

About

I moved far away from any Trader Joe's stores so I kept a dip container with the intent to figure out how to make it someday, and I got pretty close! It's basically a curried hummus-type dip made with lentils. I can't afford tahini, and I can't eat it fast enough before it goes bad so I just use sesame seeds, but you can use tahini and it would probably be even better! I also leave out oil, which is in the ingredients list, so you can add some as well, but I like it just fine without it. I obviously left out a few other things, because they're not stuff I ever have in my house, but you can play around with the recipe. Masala's really expensive, so I just use the cheaper stuff, which isn't at all the same as masala, but you might be able to find something close that's cheaper. I use a combo of a Trader Joe's curry and a McCormick curry, but I'm sure it doesn't really affect it too much.

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You Will Need (15 things)

  • 1 ½ Curry Powder
  • 2 tbsp Canola Oil probably about
  • ¼ Ground Ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ Paprika
  • ½ Garlic Powder
  • 3 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 2 Sesame Seeds (or tahini)
  • ½ Lemon Pepper (or some lemon zest)
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ Turmeric
  • 3 cup Cooked Lentils
  • ¼ cup Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar

Steps (4 steps, 15 minutes)

  1. 1

    Put all the ingredients in a food processor (a blender could work, too, you just might have to settle for a slightly runnier dip) and process until it's dip-ish. I usually go until the sesame seeds aren't very visible, so probably about 3 or more minutes, but if you're using tahini you probably won't have to process as long.

  2. 2

    If the taste is a little off to you, I recommend playing around with adding either more salt or more sugar (I like a little molasses) before messing around with the other spices. I like a bit more cayenne, but I like all my food really spicy. Add more water or oil if it's too thick.

  3. 3

    Nom.

    This makes about three cups worth by the looks of my quart-sized tupperware container. I would definitely halve it if you don't intend to eat it within a week, maybe less. Not sure how long it'll keep. It separates more than the store-bought dip, so just mix it before you eat it and it should be fine!

  4. 4

    My ingredient list won't save properly so here it is:

    3 cups cooked lentils (i always cook them with salt and some garlic cloves)
    2 tbsp sesame seeds or tahini
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    3 tbsp tomato paste
    1/2 tsp lemon pepper
    1 tbsp brown sugar
    1 1/2 tsp curry powder
    1/2 tsp turmeric (can omit or add 1/2 tsp more of curry if you don't have this)
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    1/4 tsp ground ginger
    1/2 tsp paprika
    salt to taste
    dash of cayenne pepper, or more if you like it spicy
    2 tbsp oil, optional