Bean Dip

[johnrk]

I don't know where it started, but I know I've eaten Frito-Lay bean dip from here in Texas since I was a small child. And I love making my own now. It's pretty much a staple here when I have friends over for cards or dominoes.

I tend to make mine with fresh pinto beans and fresh ground comino, dried red pepper flakes, either fresh crushed or garlic powder, chili powder, often various other fresh chilis, then into the food processor for about a minute until completely blended. I'll often spoon it into a bowl, top with shredded cheese of one type or another and heat in the oven before serving with tortilla chips and/or Fritos.

Does anyone on here like bean dip, and does anyone on here have a recipe they use? I've made my own hummus for a few decades and actually cook my own dried chickpeas in the pressure cooker as they taste, like the pintos, so very much better than the canned stuff. And yes, I like spicy hummus and serve it also as well as the traditional.

 

[appnut]

I love bean dip.  Haven't made it since the 2006 wash-in at DaDoES. 

 

[fisherpaykel]

Bean Dips

Well guys, I would appreciate the recipes and johnrk, just what is comino? Thank you

 

[johnrk]

Comino

is the natural name for 'cumin'. An absolute staple in Tex-Mex cooking. I use it routinely for cooking pinto beans, some meats, etc. Where I live, here in the Houston area, one sees 'comino' more than 'cumin'.

The one ingredient used so much in Tex-Mex that I really don't like much is 'cilantro', also known as 'coriander'. It's a strange herb because either people adore it, or they can't stand it. To me, it tastes like soap, whereas most friends just love the stuff and eat it fresh like leaf parsley.

Where you live in Canada, do your grocery stores stock different fresh peppers like ours do down here? I'm not talking about bell peppers, of course, but jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, etc. Every little grocery will have a half dozen common varieties, and the bigger stores will have more. They're such a staple for cooking for so many down here.

 

[fisherpaykel]

Cumin

Hi John, thanks for the explanation, sorry, I have a pack of, forgive me, pre-ground cumin and dry chick peas and lentils so I will have to try this. Here jalapenos and sometimes serrano fresh peppers are in the supermarkets but for other varieties we have to go to the more ethnic stores. This will be my first attempt at home made bean dip but I am noticing that quite often make it yourself can taste better than store bought. Thank you.

 

[johnrk]

Making Bean Dip

Check out YouTube under 'bean dip'. Down here, it's assumed that bean dip is made with pinto beans. However, you can just as easily make it with black beans, mayacoba beans, etc. And, of course, vary your favorite seasonings. A lot of people will 'brown' the beans in a hot skillet before processing; I usually don't but sometimes do. Canned beans will work fine also.

Of course, the classic hummus is really just a Middle Eastern form of bean dip--one that I adore and make very, very often. I buy the chickpeas in bulk and buy my own raw sesame seeds in bulk and toast them for tahini either in a skillet or under the broiler. If you decide to do that, just remember that they can go from raw to burned very quickly.

Let us know how yours works out!