Without much work, you can turn this simple sauce into a number of different sauces or condiments. Here are a few ideas that can be used alone or in combination.
Herbed Yogurt Sauce Add ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, or to taste. Or use parsley, dill, cilantro, or any other tender herb. Dried mint or dill, about 1 teaspoon, is also acceptable; other dried herbs are not as good.
Onion Yogurt Sauce Add 1 tablespoon or more minced onion, shallot, or scallion; you can omit the garlic or not, as you like.
Raita The classic Indian yogurt sauce. Add about 1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled if you’d like, and seeded) and/or peeled, seeded, and diced tomato or any mixture of vegetables, like those you’d use in Chopped Salad (page 36).
Richer Yogurt Sauce Top with 1 tablespoon or so good extra virgin olive oil, along with a sprinkle of paprika, cumin, or garam masala, if you like.
Avocado Yogurt Sauce Stir in half or more of a ripe avocado, mashed or puréed in a food processor, along with a little extra lemon juice.
Fiery Yogurt Sauce Add red chile flakes, chili powder, or minced fresh chile, to taste.
Ginger Yogurt Sauce Stir in 1 tablespoon or so of minced fresh ginger.
Spicy Yogurt Sauce Stir in any of these, alone or in combination, to taste: ground cumin, paprika, cayenne, dry mustard, saffron threads (mix them first with 1 tablespoon boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes before stirring in) or turmeric (which will give the same color, though not the same flavor), or ground ginger.
Yogurt Sauce with Beans Add a cup drained cooked or canned beans; chickpeas work especially well; Roasted Chickpeas (page 472) work nicely this way also.
Sweet Yogurt Sauce A spoonful of honey — either alone or in combination with any of the suggestions above — goes great with heavily seasoned food. And the sweetness helps round out yogurt’s natural acidity. Or try pomegranate molasses.
Blue Cheese Dressing Good with sour cream too: Omit the garlic. Add about ½ cup crumbled blue cheese (Roquefort, for example) along with a bit of fresh lemon juice.