Why I can’t call my first recipe a recipe

Let’s go Dutch! But, let’s do it the proper Dutch way!

That said our invitation card for our King’s Day Party, for which I made my infamous Chips Dip.

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It’s obvious how you guys perceive us Dutch!

Do the phrases “Going Dutch” or throwing a “Dutch Party” say anything to you?

Well, thank you!

So to prove that we are more than a bunch of skinflints, Mr. Eats and I threw a party this weekend.

Yesterday, on April 27th, the King of the Netherlands celebrated his birthday. Reason for the entire country to dress up in orange (as that’s the last name of the royals) and have fun. If you like music, you can go to various kinds of music festivals. If you like old stuff, go the streets flea markets in Amsterdam, Utrecht or your own village. Just prefer a drink with friends? That’s also fine.

To me, that’s what makes it a great feast. Everyone can celebrate it in his own way. Or not. And yes, it’s even okay if you call yourself a republican and oppose the monarchy but still party on King’s Day.

Why not!?

That’s simply the way we Dutch roll. 

Although you can call it ‘orange madness‘ as well.

      We didn’t want to throw ‘an American Party’.     

To show all people who became part of our new life here in Silicon Valley what being Dutch really is about, we invited them to come to our house. And no, they didn’t have to bring a thing. We didn’t want to throw ‘an American Party‘. No lie, this is the Dutch way of saying that guests should bring their own food and drinks. Funny right?!

[But yeah, we liked the gifts they brought anyway. Thanks for the wines, beer, snacks and other goodies, guys! And for showing up in your brighest orange.]

So we bought beer, wine, sodas and I made my cold brewed ice tea. Foodwise we went back to our youth and college time. The time when I learned to make gazpacho and my Grandmother’s vegetable soup. I also made my other Grandma’s savory quiche (recipe!) again and my favorite spinach quiche at that time, a version with dried mint. The Brabantse worstenbroodjes (sausage rolls) couldn’t be missed and I also made the famous Dutch sate ajam. That’s Indonesian chicken satay with peanut sauce. Our guests know it; it’s great to dip up the leftover peanut sauce with your bread.

But I probably got the most compliments for my Chips Dip. 

Originated by the little sauce packages my mom used to buy for dips and dressings. The small one portion-packages contained a powder that you had to mix with mayonnaise and some water. As a student I thought these were too expensive, so I started to mixing and matching the spices I had in my cupboard with some mayonnaise. Depending on the chips I was serving the dip with, I altered the flavors a little bit.

With some fantasy you can call it an orange King’s Day chips dip.

But basically, it’s a no-recipe ‘just empty your spice cabinet’ chips dip.

Try it.

It really can’t fail.

dutch kingsday invitation #illustration @edithdourleijn #edieeats #crown

Edie’s no-recipe chips dip

I can’t call it a proper recipe, since I never exactly measure what I do. It sometimes feel like I just throw in everything I can find in my spice cabinet. Which sort of is true. Have a look and …

You need to do:
.. grab the mayo. And a spoon. Not a measurement spoon, just a ordinary table spoon. Scoop 2 or 3 big blobs of mayonnaise in a bowl.

Tip: You can mix yogurt and mayonnaise for a more healthy dip. But since eating chips isn’t healthy to start with, why bother? Let me convince you with its taste. The yogurt makes your dip a bit fresher and brighter than my original recipe with only mayonnaise. Just test what you like best.

Add some ketchup. About 1/4 to 1/3 of the amount of mayonnaise.
If you live in The Netherlands, you add some Hela curry sauce as well.

Add the spices. Just get the jar and sprinkle some of it in your bowl. I always start with thyme and oregano – or some other dried green herbs. Than I add some paprika, powdered coriander seeds, salt and pepper. Depending on my mood, I opt for some turmeric for a nice color as well. Stir all in.

Dilute a little, as you now have a thick sauce that doesn’t dip nicely. So add a splash of lemon juice and about 2 tablespoons of water. Stir all carefully.

Dip your chips!

Do you want more dip or spread recipes? Or view all my recipes here, or check my vegan or vegetarian recipes.

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