Wajos Chakalaka Dip spice blend. Garlic, chili, and turmeric, hot and spicy – the dip spice mix that turns yogurt and crème fraîche into a barbecue dip.
Wajos Chakalaka Dip spice blend is a dry South African-style spice mix made from 22.6 percent garlic, 11.7 percent chili, onions, turmeric, tomato flakes, bell pepper, coriander, and cumin, 90 g from Dohr on the Moselle. Not a ready-made dip in a jar, not a mild herb blend, not a ketchup substitute, but a powder that you mix yourself with yogurt and crème fraîche. Vegan, contains mustard.
Chakalaka Dip spice blend by Wajos is the difference between a barbecue night where three bottles of supermarket sauce are on the table and one where someone asks where the dip came from. The comparison is simple: A ready-made barbecue sauce tastes like sugar and vinegar; this dip tastes like garlic, chili, and spices, and you control the heat level through the amount you use. For us, this tin is one of the most popular Wajos dip blends on our shelves – and people who have tried it at a barbecue party often order it afterwards.
Garlic first, then chili, then the warmth of cumin and turmeric
The blend is red-orange, coarse, and smells of garlic even while in the tin. At 22.6 percent, it accounts for almost a quarter of the blend, followed by salt in second place, then onions and 11.7 percent chili. The heat is distinct, but comes with a delay – it builds up while eating and lingers. Turmeric provides the color and an earthy tone, while cumin and coriander offer warm, slightly oriental spice. Tomato flakes, bell pepper, and carrot provide sweetness in the background, with fenugreek, nutmeg, and ginger rounding it off.
The result is a Chakalaka, as it is traditionally served in South Africa as a vegetable relish with grilled meat – here in dry form, as a base for dips, sauces, or butter. Mixed with yogurt and crème fraîche, the heat becomes milder; used as a marinade with oil, it remains bold. Two things to note: The blend contains mustard flour and is salty – 13.9 grams per 100 grams. One teaspoon seasons and salts at the same time, so add more salt only after tasting.
The Chakalaka Dip is not suitable for those looking for a mild dip for children – the Tzatziki Dip spice blend is a better fit. Those who want even more heat can use a higher dosage: using two teaspoons instead of one makes the entire flavor more intense, in addition to the heat.
As a dip, as a barbecue sauce, as butter, and in stews
The dip according to the Wajos recipe works like this: Mix two teaspoons of the blend with one tablespoon of lukewarm water and let it soak briefly. Then add three tablespoons of crème fraîche and two tablespoons of yogurt, stir, and let it rest for at least half an hour. The dip is ready for grilled meat, ribs, potato wedges, vegetable sticks, or bread. For a lighter version, use only yogurt or quark.
As a sauce: Sauté a diced onion, add strained tomatoes, then a tablespoon of Chakalaka, simmer for ten minutes – a barbecue sauce that also works with pasta or rice. As butter: Mix one teaspoon into room-temperature butter, chill, and serve on steak, corn on the cob, or grilled bread. And as a marinade: Mix the blend with oil, coat chicken legs or vegetables, and let marinate for an hour.
Beyond the grill, the tin serves as a versatile spice: a teaspoon in lentil stew, pumpkin soup, or chili con carne, half a teaspoon in bread dough, or a spoonful in scrambled eggs. For raclette, the mixed dip replaces store-bought sauces. The blend is not suitable for sprinkling dry like salt – it needs liquid or fat, otherwise, it tastes powdery.
Our tip: Serve the mixed dip with baked potatoes alongside the Patatas Bravas Dip spice blend – the perfect summer dinner that doesn't require anyone to fire up the grill.
Blended in Dohr, by people who also make liqueur and vinegar
Spice blends like this are created by Wajos in Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle, in-house: the majority of the brand's approximately 900 items are produced there and tested in their own laboratory. A blend with 17 ingredients like this one is among those mixed directly on the Moselle, rather than bought and re-labeled.
That a company on the Moselle makes South African barbecue spices may seem far-fetched at first glance. The path there leads through a family of winemakers: Walter Josef Oster from Ediger-Eller, from 15 generations of winegrowers, founded a liqueur manufactory in the 1980s. His son, Peter Oster, expanded it with Ulf Schwichtenberg into the Wajos brand starting in the 2000s; the first store opened in Trier in 2008, and today they are found throughout Germany. Over 80 employees work at the site, and the spices, alongside cremas and oils, have become one of the major product groups.
The family business describes its principle as "working in a controlled, smaller way" – preferring a manageable range produced in-house over mass production. With Chakalaka, you notice this in the ingredient list: spices, vegetables, salt, olive oil – that is the entire list.
The tin for grill fans, spice lovers, and the pantry
The Chakalaka Dip is the blend for those who want more than just ketchup and mustard at the grill, and for everyone who enjoys heat. As a gift, it belongs with a pair of barbecue tongs or in a package with the Magic Dust Rub – you can find all rubs and dips on our Wajos page.
Stored dry, in the dark, and tightly closed, the tin will last a long time; 90 grams are enough for a good dozen portions of dip or, used sparingly as a spice, for a whole summer full of barbecue evenings. The blend is not suitable for those who must avoid mustard or those cooking low-salt – the salt is an integral part of the recipe.
Garlic, chili, and cumin, mixed with yogurt and crème fraîche – the dip spice blend from the Moselle that we have to restock every summer.
