The heat in Sacramento has been intense and it’s often too hot to cook. In an attempt to avoid spending too much time in a hot kitchen, I have been turning to bean dips, crudité, and pita for dinner. One of my recent favorites is this white bean dip with chili oil. The dip is adapted from a recipe I found on Rainbow Plant Life. It’s a bean dip that consists of blending cannellini beans with toasted pine nuts. The pine nuts add natural sweetness to the dip and balances the flavor of the cannellini beans.
Nisha’s Lemony White Bean Dip recipe leans on lemon and garlic flavors. I decided to flavor the bean dip with my chili oil and some red Sichuan peppercorns for a bit of tongue-tingling spice. My chili oil contains garlic, ginger, and gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). It’s very fragrant and has bright flavors that complement the rest of the bean dip very well.
This white bean dip with chili oil is fantastic with vegetables, crackers, and pita, or it can be used as a spread for sandwiches. For a light lunch, I sometimes spread the dip over Wasa gluten-free crispbread and top that with hard boiled eggs and a bit of freshly cracked black pepper. Even my husband, who usually isn’t too fussed about bean dips, enjoyed it!
COOKING NOTES FOR WHITE BEAN DIP
USING SOY SAUCE
Nisha’s original recipe used white miso to give the dip umami flavor. I decided to go with soy sauce instead. The soy sauce adds a layer of depth and savory flavor to the bean dip and complements the chili oil topping a lot better. If you are gluten free, you can use tamari (I usually use San-J). Lee Kum Kee also makes a gluten-free soy sauce.
SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS
For a light tongue-tingling spice, I added freshly ground red Sichuan peppercorns. The peppercorns have a bright, fruity aroma that works nicely in the bean dip. You can usually find Sichuan peppercorns at Chinese grocery stores, on Amazon (affiliate link), the Mala Market, or Fly By Jing. Note that red Sichuan peppercorns are different from the green ones. The green peppercorns have a much grassier flavor profile.
I usually take whole Sichuan peppercorns and grind them in my mortar and pestle. Before grinding the peppercorns, sift through them and discard any large twigs or tiny black seeds. The black seeds are bitter and not edible, so toss those out.
Grind the Sichuan peppercorns until they turn into powder and you can no longer grind the husks any further. Then, sift out the husks because they have a tough texture.
For this white bean dip recipe, I ground 1 1/2 tablespoons of peppercorns, which yielded about 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground peppercorn powder (after sifting out the husks). There will be a noticeable amount of tongue-tingly spice in the dip, but it’s not extreme. If you are not spice tolerant, you can reduce the amount of peppercorn powder or omit that ingredient completely.
You can also find pre-ground peppercorn powder, which is sometimes called prickly ash powder. They are usually a finer grind, so I recommend adding 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the powder to the dip first. Then, taste and add more if necessary.
CAN I USE ANOTHER TYPE OF BEAN?
Although I haven’t tried this recipe with other types of beans, I can imagine it tasting great with chickpeas or butter beans.
CAN I USE SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES PINE NUTS?
Pine nuts are not cheap, so I understand if you want to use something less pricey. While I haven’t tried this, I think this dip will be very nice with toasted sunflower seeds.
OTHER DIP RECIPES
If you like this white bean dip with chili oil recipe, consider these recipes!
- Whipped Feta with Chili Oil & Honey
- Hummus 3 Ways: Roasted Garlic, Carrot Harissa, and Cilantro Jalapeño
White Bean Dip with Chili Oil
Adapted from Nisha Vora’s Lemony White Bean Dip recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (50g) raw pine nuts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red Sichuan peppercorns (see note 2)
- 1 (15.5-ounce/439g) can of cannellini beans drained & rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce NOT dark soy sauce
- juice from half a lemon about 1 1/2 tablespoons
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons ice water
- chili oil with solids (see note 3)
- sliced scallions for topping
Instructions
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Pour the pine nuts into a skillet. Toast the nuts over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until they start brown. Make sure to stir frequently to keep the pine nuts from burning. Transfer the nuts to a bowl to stop them from browning further. Set aside 2 teaspoons of toasted pine nuts for topping the dip.
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Pour the Sichuan peppercorns into a bowl. Pick out any small twigs or tiny black seeds. The seeds are bitter and inedible, so don’t bother grinding them.
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Grind the Sichuan peppercorns until they turn into powder and you can no longer grind the husks any further. The husks won’t break down further and have a tough texture.
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Sift out the husks through a mesh strainer. You should now have about 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground peppercorn powder.
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Transfer the rinsed cannellini beans to the bowl of a food processor. Add the toasted pine nuts, ground peppercorn, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt. I am pretty spice tolerant, so I added all 1 1/2 teaspoons of the peppercorn powder. The dip has a noticeable tongue-tingling sensation, but it’s not insanely spicy. If you are more spice averse, feel free to use less of the peppercorn powder or skip it entirely. (See note 4 about using pre-ground Sichuan peppercorns.)
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Start blending everything together. If ingredients are getting stuck to the sides of the bowl, turn off the food processor and scrape down the sides. Stream in 2 tablespoons of ice water and keep blending the dip. I like using 2 1/2 tablespoons of water for a creamier dip, but feel free to use less water. Taste the bean dip and add more salt, if desired. (Note: my chili oil recipe contains salt, so you might not need to add more here.)
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Transfer the white bean dip to a serving bowl. Use the back of the spoon to create a spiral pattern on the bean dip. Spoon the chili oil, especially the solids, over the bean dip (I usually use about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the chili oil). Top with reserved toasted pine nuts and sliced scallions. Serve the bean dip with vegetables, crackers, or pita! Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.
Notes
- More ways to use chili oil: Use the oil as a topping for dumpling or noodle dishes. This chili oil is also a key ingredient in the sauce for my smashed cucumber salad recipe. You can also mix a bit of the chili oil (and solids) with mayo and use that for sandwiches or potato salads!
- Red Sichuan Peppercorns: You can usually find these in Chinese grocery stores or online stores. The red peppercorns are not the same as the green ones. Green Sichuan peppercorns have a grassier flavor.
- Substitutions: If you don’t have time to make a batch of chili oil from scratch, substitute it with your favorite chili crisp (such as Lao Gan Ma).
- Pre-ground Sichuan peppercorns tend to be a finer grind. Use about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of that for this recipe.
Nutrition
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