Homemade Onion Dip
A party favorite from Kato Banks of "San Frangeles"
Earlier this month, as I looked through recipes to figure out what to bring to a potluck, I was shocked to realize that I hadn’t yet resurfaced this fantastic homemade onion dip. This recipe ran back in the summer of 2022, when I was just getting the newsletter off the ground, and came from Kato Banks (aka KatoSpace), a producer (music, events, films), artist, and sometimes PR professional (mostly for friends) who is also currently working on creating a line of shrub sodas.
Kato told me about his childhood traveling back and forth between San Francisco and Los Angeles and his parents mix of Filipino and Italian foods. He also shared this fantastic dip recipe—and a playlist to go with it, which I’ve included below. It’s an ideal thing to bring to any summer party or bbq, so I thought I’d share it again for anyone (most of you!) who weren’t around when the California Table was just getting started.
Homemade Onion Dip
When Kato and I started talking about what recipe to run with his interview, he told me that, while he has all kinds of elaborate recipes (including things like spaghetti with fresh uni from Stephanie Mutz), this is the dish people always ask him to make. It’s his “clean” version of the chemical-filled onion dips of his childhood, and in many ways I think it really reflects his approach to cooking and how it is informed by an obsession with quality ingredients (see his interview, linked above, for more about his approach).
This recipe makes a huge amount of dip, so that you can serve it at a big party. (The photo at the top of the post shows only half of the total dip.) But Kato warned me that every time he makes it, it disappears fast. Having tried it, I can see why! Serve it with potato chips (the classic accompaniment) and/or carrot sticks, celery, etc.
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups finely chopped white onion
8 cups (4 pounds) sour cream
1 cup green onion thinly cut crosswise
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 ½ teaspoons of Bragg’s liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon of granulated garlic
Preheat the oven 450°F. Line two cookie sheets with foil and spread the chopped yellow onion out on the sheets, leaving lots of room between the pieces. Toast the onion until browned (but not burnt), about 25 minutes. (The pieces of onion will range from lightly golden to dark brown. About half the pieces should be crisp.)
Put the sour cream in a large bowl and mix in the toasted onion (scraping and pulling the browned bits off of the foil) and all of the remaining ingredients.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, give the dip a good mix; the toasted onion will have softened, and you’ll want to make sure its flavor is evenly distributed.
A Chips-and-Dip Party Playlist
Kato also created a playlist to go with the dip recipe: Chips & Dip Party Pairing The playlist is arranged in no particular order and is fun to play on shuffle. As Kato told me:
I’m working on getting this launched. It’s called TasteTone, and it’s culinary-music pairings. Because, really, it’s the taste and then the tone. And they kind of go back and forth. I found that music, food, and coming together are common themes throughout my life. It’s all about bringing people together. We live in a world where there’s a lot of horrible things, but the food, the music, the taste, the bringing together joy is important.
More Fun California Recipes to Take to a Party
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I’m obsessed with the new Kismet cookbook, and I think a lot of their recipes would make great additions to a summery potluck. The spice-covered baked salmon topped with seasoned orange slices (known as “The Only Way to Bake Salmon”) would be particularly good, since it can be served warm or cold—just double or triple the recipe (reprinted by Sunset) for a larger party. The CA-based cook Betty Williams, who shares recipes in her Substack Betty Eatz, recently posted another fun dish that could be scaled up for a party: Melon and Feta Salad with Sumac Dressing. And while it isn’t new, Ben Mims’ Fried Onion-Chili Crisp Dip (for the LA Times) is always a good option for any party.
Photos: Georgia Freedman