Creamy Curry Dip

"Among the liveliest of memories are those of eating and drinking..." Mary Antin

What a fantastic quote! I have a feeling that Mary Antin and I have a lot in common, for most of my memories involve food somehow or other! In that respect, I suppose I was always destined to become a Chef...
So, this evening my best friend Mary and I and our friend Jeff are off to Dundas to attend a dinner party hosted by my youngest brother Jordan and his girlfriend Jen, at their new apartment! It will be our first of many, I hope! For the special occasion, Jord and Jen have asked me to prepare one of our fave items... yummy curry dip. I'll fill you in on why it is one of our favourites! A couple of years ago, the three of us and our cousin Terry went to England. Our Mum's family is there. While in England, we did a lot of travelling and eating... We visited Liverpool, Manchester, London, Stonehenge, Chester, York and Northern Wales. Not bad! We drove along the North shore of Wales on a sunny day, spotting castles in the hillsides and admiring the views of the Irish Sea. We ventured out to Caernarfon and spend the afternoon roaming through the ancient castle in which Prince Charles was appointed, 'The Prince of Wales.' What a day!! We then set out along the winding roads until we found a fabulous pub in which to quench our thirst and steadily growing appetite! I can't remember the name of the pub, but I remember that it was 500 years old! We sat outside on a picnic bench, with the town wall running behind us and a view of the castle, up the winding cobble stone road in front of us. Soon, we had pints of ale and cider in front of us and we were ready for food! Bangers and mash, a couple of steak pies, a big brekkie and bowls of chips to share, were soon ordered. Along with our chips, we ordered a curry dip. When it arrived, I was surprised to find that the dip was a cold, mayonnaise based dip, not the traditional hot, gravy like curry sauce you would expect. Oh well, might was well taste it... Hello!! Or 'Hylo!!,' as they would say in Wales! It was absolutely delicious! Now, call us crazy, but my brother Jord and I obsessed about this dip until we got back home! Soon, it was time for me to crack the code (a pretty easy one to crack, actually!), and figure out how it was made! I did it! Since then, I have made it time and time again for our family functions. Here's how to make it!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Curry Dip
(makes about 1 cup)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp of curry powder (make it heaping if you want!)
1 garlic clove, chopped
or
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

.in a small frying pan, heat the oil on medium low heat, add curry powder and garlic
.stir continuously and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is sizzling and the spices are aromatic, set aside to cool (be careful not to burn the garlic or curry powder)
* if you are using the garlic powder, you must still fry off the curry powder
.mix together the mayo and sour cream (and garlic powder if using), stir in the fried curry powder and garlic
.season with salt and pepper, enjoy!

Allow the dip to sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavours to develop. If you don't fry off the curry powder, the spices will be gritty and their flavours will not be released. Serve the dip with veggies, breads, corn chips or good ol' chips (fries!)... Use low fat or light mayo and sour cream for a lighter alternative. Whenever we eat this dip, we are taken right back to that wonderful day in Wales! Oh, the memories... It's going to be a fun evening at Jord and Jen's, I know it already!
Well, my followers, another week done and it's time for the weekend! I have a lot of culinary adventures lined up, but you are just going to wait till next week to find out what they were! Hee hee! Until Monday!!