Dadami dip

"Every Iranian eats sabzi khordan, our famous mixed herb salad. My father took that idea and ran with it: he would chop mint, dill, basil and red onion, mix in some rose petals and fresh chilli, then stir the mixture into the labne. My father is Azeri (of Azerbaijani descent) and dadami means 'daddy' in his language. I think this is my number-one dip recipe."

Dadami dip Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

This dip is very special to me because it's something my father would make. When I was little, he would travel to the countryside in the north of Iran to visit his sister, my aunty Sara. She lives on a farm and they hardly ever go to the shops – they have cows, a big garden and everything they need, and she makes butter, cheese, yoghurt and labne. When my father returned he always brought a huge 20 kg tub of labne with him. We would eat it with our dinner and have it with bread as a snack, but after a few days we would be sick of it so my father would get creative.

Ingredients

• 1 kg pot-set natural yoghurt (or 500 g store-bought labne)
• ½ bunch mint, leaves roughly chopped
• ½ bunch dill, fronds roughly chopped
• ½ bunch basil, leaves roughly chopped
• ½ red onion, roughly chopped
• ½ long green chilli, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground sumac
• handful edible dried rose petals
• ½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• nigella seeds, to serve (optional)

If you are making labne, you will need to start this recipe the day before.

Instructions

1. If you want to make your own labne, spoon the yoghurt into a large square of muslin (cheesecloth) or a clean tea towel. Bring the corners together and tie in a knot to secure the yoghurt. Suspend the yoghurt bundle over a bowl to catch the whey (making sure that the yoghurt doesn't touch the base of the bowl). Set aside to hang in the fridge overnight.
2. Spoon the labne into a large bowl and discard the whey. Add the herbs, onion, chilli, spices, half the dried rose petals and half the olive oil and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the dadami dip to a serving bowl and scatter the remaining dried rose petals and a few nigella seeds (if using) over the top. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil and serve as part of a mezze spread.
4. The dip will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

 

Images and text from Salamati by Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books (RRP $45.00)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This dip is very special to me because it's something my father would make. When I was little, he would travel to the countryside in the north of Iran to visit his sister, my aunty Sara. She lives on a farm and they hardly ever go to the shops – they have cows, a big garden and everything they need, and she makes butter, cheese, yoghurt and labne. When my father returned he always brought a huge 20 kg tub of labne with him. We would eat it with our dinner and have it with bread as a snack, but after a few days we would be sick of it so my father would get creative.