The origins of the classic Kiwi onion dip and some modern dips to dazzle at a party
Rosemary Dempsey deserves national treasure status. You may not know the name but if you’ve lived in New Zealand for any length of time, you will surely have come across her claim to fame. For Rosemary is the inventor of the classic Kiwi onion dip.
The home economist first came up with this now-iconic dip in the early 1960s, when working for Nestlé. She was charged with creating a recipe to tap into the emerging trend for dips at the time. So Rosemary mixed a tin of Nestlé reduced cream with the contents of one packet of Maggi onion soup mix and, voila, an iconic Kiwi culinary wonder was born.
These days, the dip has evolved to, more often than not, include vinegar or lemon juice in the mix. We’ve also come across versions that switch up the souring agent to malt or balsamic vinegar to add a little extra flavour. There are those who mix through fried shallots and we’ve also come across a version that included mashed tinned tuna. Sour cream or cream cheese are also added sometimes for a less strong flavour hit.
You could also try experimenting with soup flavours, with some swearing by a French Onion soup mix as a superior version. Pumpkin, mushroom and tomato soup mixes have found their way into variations. But purists always return to the good old Maggi Onion to evoke that classic flavour.
What we dip into this iconic mixture has changed over the decades and along with your classic potato chip, all manner of crudites, pita breads, crackers and grissini are now happy bedfellows.
Of course, there are occasions that call for an elevated approach to the humble chip-and-dip game. So here’s a French Onion version, made from scratch, that should keep everyone happy. And if you really want to impress, along with a selection of crudites – snow peas, carrots, cucumber, radishes – you could make your own root vege chips too (method below).
French onion dip
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 shallots, use 5 if they are small
- 1 bunch spring onions, reserve the green tops
- 1 knob butter, a large one
- 1 splash olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 small bunch lemon thyme
- ¼ cup stock, or use the juice of 1 orange
- 1 splash gin, a good-sized one
- 1 cup buffalo yoghurt, a large one, or use Greek yoghurt
- 1 handful chopped chives
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- Evenly chop onion, shallots and spring onions (reserve the green tops).
- Melt butter and a glug of olive oil, then add the onions, crushed garlic cloves, sugar and a small bunch of lemon thyme and gently fry, stirring often until everything is nicely caramelised.
- Add the spring onion tops, stock (or the juice of an orange) a healthy splash of gin and cook until liquid has evaporated and the mixture is soft to the bite. Remove from heat, discard herbs, cover and cool. Blitz to a chunky paste.
- Add onion mixture to the large cup of buffalo (or Greek) yoghurt, the chopped chives and the lemon zest and juice. Stir to combine, season and chill to serve.
How to make your own root vegetable chips
1. Preheat oven to 170C. Peel a selection of root vegetables (agria potatoes, various kumara, parsnip, beetroot) then use a mandoline to slice them very thinly. Spread out onto a clean tea towel and dry them thoroughly.
2. Toss them in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, lay onto baking trays lined with baking paper and season accordingly (try sea salt flakes, ground black pepper, chipotle salt, herb salt, etc).
3. Bake so they cook and crisp evenly. You may have to move them around, and flip them. Each vegetable will crisp up at a different rate, so best to use separate trays.
Recipes / Warren Elwin