#44 – Garlic Yogurt Sauce

This is recipe roundup episode 44. Next week I will be talking about doner kebab – a similar meat concoction to Shawarma or Gyro. But as I’m perfecting my recipe, I wanted to go ahead and give you the sauce that I like to eat with those dishes! This goes great with any sort of meat and fresh vegetable sandwich or wrap – I’ve also eaten it as a spread on crusty warm bread and pita. It is very reminiscent of a tzatziki sauce. 

Like many of the recipes I give, there is a level of customization that you can bring to this dip, mainly in the form of fresh herbs. Cilantro, Mint, and Dill are all great additions to this yogurt sauce – but when I most recently made it, I was just using what I already had around the house. Even without fresh herbs, it really hit the spot. 

When it comes to the yogurt, I highly recommend full fat yogurt. I personally use Greek yogurt so that the final result is thicker than not, but that is entirely up to you. Having the full fat component takes the heft of this sauce to the next level – bringing the necessary creaminess to tame the heat of the garlic. 

Note: You will smell like garlic after making and eating this. If you don’t like garlic, I’d recommend staying away from this recipe. 

Ingredients

1 cup of full fat, plain yogurt

1-3 garlic cloves, grated or pressed

3 tbs of freshly diced tomato

3 tbs of freshly diced onion

1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

Black Pepper and Salt to taste

1 tsp of ground cumin (optional)

Fresh Herbs, like mint  chopped (optional) 

1. Finely diced a slice or two of tomato and onion. Place into a medium sized bowl
2. Grate or press 1 to 3 garlic cloves into the bowl. Drizzle half of the olive oil over the tomato, onion and garlic.  
3. Add the cup of yogurt, as well as any fresh herbs you are using, and begin to mix fully. 
4. Let sit for five minutes before stirring in the Black pepper, salt, and optional cumin, tasting as you go. 
5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top, choosing to mix in or leave separate and enjoy!