Labneh Dip With Sizzled Scallions and Chile

I had to do the oil 3 times before I could use it, because the onions and flakes burned the first two times. In the end, I just infused the oil with the chilli flakes overnight in room temperature and just lightly fried the onions in it the next day. Delicious, though!

I just made this from her new cookbook, where it appears as written here. She should have indicated a range of time for the oil to be on the heat. Like others, mine never did turn color, and the cilantro turned black. I think it will taste good, but the instructions are quite ambiguous.

As others have commented, I too was waiting for the orange oil indicator and ended up burning the scallions and cilantro. This was set on the medium-low heat. Still used it and it was still delicious! Make sure to keep an eye on the oil and if it doesn't turn orange, just don't worry about it and cook until the scallions/cilantro start to lightly brown. It'll still be tasty.

The color of the oil will depend on your pepper flakes (eg how fresh they are). You want to pull it before the onions/cilantro start to brown. Delicious!

Same for me-- no fiery orange coloring. I started over and quit cooking the oil mixture when the scallions started to brown as another commenter suggested. Next time I might do just the red-pepper flakes in the oil for a while, then add the scallions for a few minutes, and then the cilantro at the very end.

This is crazy good. The first time I made this with red pepper flakes, it turned slightly orange but not quite as bright as I was expecting. The second time, I used a mix of red pepper flakes and Aleppo pepper and the oil turned a bright red. Gochugaru might also work and would give a nice smoky flavor.

could Alison comment on how long to keep scallions and cilantro on stove, and weather to turn up the heat to get them to brown, and what color she thinks these ingredients should be? I too found that the oil never turned orange.

I'm at a Superbowl party where I brought this dip and it's already gone! I used half sour cream and half Fage 2% because that's what I had in the fridge. I also went with the chive option instead of cilantro. I cooked the oil/chive/scallion/red pepper mix until it was very fragrant but not burned, and it turned out a tangerine color, so I'd say use your nose more than your eyes to tell when it's done. This is a keeper for me. Very similar to French onion dip but with a fresher, cleaner flavor.

I made this with great success. Everyone raved about it and said it was ‘addictive’. It definitely tastes like an upgraded sour cream and onion dip. My chilli oil turned out a fiery orange - I used pul biber instead of chilli flakes which is usually quite moist by itself so that greatly helped with the colouring.

The oil never turned orange but no matter: sizzled for a few minutes, the scallion oil looked nice enough and the dip was inhaled by guests. I served with quartered radishes, pita crackers, and lavash. It’s important to season the labneh assertively. I added more salt than I would have predicted. Nothing shocking but it makes the difference between just okay and excellent. Will certainly make again, next time with chives.

This turned out amazing - but my oil didn’t turn red either. Still a beautiful presentation though. I make labneh by mixing whole milk Greek yogurt with a little bit of lemon juice and salt and letting it sit in a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth over a bowl in the fridge for a day. So many uses for it!

Don’t believe the haters. This is fabulous ! After reading comments here, I decided to let pepper flakes sit in oil all day on stovetop. I used generous half teaspoon of Aleppo and generous half teaspoon of Italian red chili flakes. Cooked oil about 5 minutes with scallions and cilantro. Unbelievable tastiness!

I made this “adult ranch” for a get together a few months ago and have literally made it every other week since. It’s amazing with potato chips, crudités, crackers, chicken wings—anything dippable, really. The scallion oil drizzled over pasta, drizzled over roast chicken, or whisked into a salad dressing makes for a delicious meal in a pinch. I always double the oil recipe and keep a jar of it in the fridge so I have it when I’m craving that spicy, oniony flavor.

I read somewhere perhaps in her book that if your oil doesn't turn oil it's likely due to your chili flakes being on the older side/quality. Another thing I would recommend is adding the cilantro during the cooling process not during the sizzling process. I've also held the cilantro until it was completely assembled and sprinkled on top of everything (w/ a quick swirl w/ a butter knife) these flavors together are awesome and seem to just appeal to everyone!

I add a diced shallot to the mix, this dip is always a hit!