Basic Yogurt Sauce

By Samin Nosrat

Basic Yogurt Sauce
Jessica Emily Marx for The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(615)
Comments
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Serve this yogurt with basmati rice, quinoa, or couscous. Use to garnish lamb, chicken or fish kebabs. Spoon a dollop into pureed soups and shellbeans just before serving. Or thin with a little water to make a creamy dressing ideal for romaine or little gem lettuces.

Featured in: Five Sauces for the Modern Cook

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Ingredients

Yield:1¼ cups
  • 1cup Greek-style yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt (8 ounces/225 grams)
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2tablespoons lime juice (from 1 large lime), more to taste
  • ½teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • 1garlic clove
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2.5 servings)

181 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 278 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, mint, oil, lime juice, salt and 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Use a rasp grater to finely grate garlic into the bowl. Stir, taste and adjust salt and lime juice as needed. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.

Tips
  • To make Persian cucumber yogurt, stir in ½ cup minced, peeled cucumber (about ½ Persian cucumber), 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro and 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill. Serve alongside grilled chicken, fish or lamb. Thin with a little water and drizzle over sliced tomatoes for a simple salad.
  • To make carrot raita, substitute 3 tablespoons cilantro for mint and add ½ cup peeled, grated carrot (about 1 small carrot) and half a small jalapeño pepper, minced. Sizzle 1 tablespoon cumin seeds in 1 tablespoon ghee or neutral oil until seeds begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir into yogurt. Serve with lamb or vegetable curries. Spoon atop spicy chickpeas, basmati rice, or roast salmon. Thin with a little water and drizzle over roasted beets, carrots and fennel.

Ratings

5 out of 5
615 user ratings
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Comments

Laura

Adding sumac to this takes it from good to outstanding.

Neeraja Sankaran

Your tzatziki... my raita... like you said.. all variations always yummy

Fred M.

Fred

There are so many variations of this sauce. Toasted fennel seeds ground and added in place of cumin. Some people just don't like the smothering flavor of cumin. Finely chopped chives also adds a more savory flavor. I've also seen one using diced tomatoes. It all depends what you're making it for, and how much futzing around you do, although whatever's added should have some relevance to the rest of whatever you're preparing.

Diane

perfect basic sauce; served with lemon/garlic chicken kabobs

Peg C

This sauce is perfect. I have made it 3 times now, not using the cucumber but just the basic sauce. It gets even better after a day or two in the fridge. I think the tip on grating garlic rather than chopping makes a big difference. I use exactly 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.

John M

Use lemon instead of lime.

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