Persian Vegetarian Dip with Homemade Pita Triangles

Persian Vegetarian Dip with Homemade Pita Triangles

A classic mezze lentil or dahl dip is one of those easy, reliable, no‑nonsense recipes that keeps well and works whether at home watching the rugby, or entertaining. This version uses everyday vegetables - onion, carrot, celery and sweet potato - cooked slowly so they soften and build flavour. The lentils absorb the spices and stock as they simmer, giving the soup body without needing cream or thickeners. Once cooled, a quick blitz brings everything together into a chunky, rustic texture that still shows off the vegetables rather than turning them into a smooth purée.

The spice base is simple: curry powder, ginger paste, cinnamon and black pepper. These add warmth and depth without overpowering the vegetable base. If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between a sweet British curry powder and a Madras curry powder, it mostly comes down to heat and intensity. Sweet British curry powder is mild, and slightly sweet. A Madras curry powder is hotter, darker and more robust, with a noticeable chilli kick yet not too hot! Using a sweet British blend keeps the dip more mellow; using Madras will give it more punch. Both work - it just depends on the result you want but I would comment that the quantity used in this recipe isn't significant enough to make the dip overly spicy or hot.

Once the dip has simmered and the vegetables are soft, remove the celery and bay leaves and blitz the mixture until chunky. You’re aiming for texture, not smoothness. If you don’t have a food processor, a potato masher does the job well enough.

Serve chilled with chopped parsley or coriander, a knife for spreading, and fresh pita bread but into triangles (see recipe link below). This dip is straightforward, economical, and built from ingredients likely already to hand.

Watch me make this mezze here:

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large brown onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• Handful of celery leaves
• 100g dried red lentils, rinsed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste 
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 4 fennel seeds or 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek
• 1/2 tbsp medium Madras curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 1-2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 750 ml water 
• 1 vegetable stock cube

Click here for my Pita or Flatbread recipe

To serve

Chopped coriander leaves
Natural yoghurt to swirl (or coconut yoghurt to keep it vegan)
Pita triangles.