Yogurt Sauces

Good yogurt (you can make your own; see page 552) is sour and rich and practically a sauce on its own; add a little salt and you’re set. The group of recipes here builds on that, taking yogurt and adding various seasonings or chopped vegetables to it, in the traditions of (mostly) the Middle East and India, where yogurt sauces are called raitas.

There is so much good yogurt around these days — including goat and sheep yogurt — that you can easily avoid inferior varieties, including those that contain gelatin or pectin and those that don’t contain live cultures. The best yogurt may be thick or thin; it may have a hard, almost cream cheese–like layer on top, or it may not. But what it does have is a fresh, sweet-sour smell and delicious flavor.

• The Simplest Yogurt Sauce

6 Uses for Yogurt Sauce

Any of the yogurt sauces can be used in myriad different ways.

1. Thin with a little lemon juice and olive oil and use as a salad dressing.
2. Top grilled or steamed vegetables or baked potatoes.
3. Use as a dip for raw veggies or chips.
4. Stir into cooked rice or other grains for extra creaminess, body, flavor, and protein.
5. Cook on top of roasted vegetables as you might cheese (don’t overcook; add during the last 5 or 10 minutes of cooking).
6. Stir into chopped or sliced raw fruit for a more complex fruit salad.