Recipe: Yogurt Sauce, Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce, Minted Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 Tbls. olive oil

Whisk yogurt until smooth. Add garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk until well blended. Cover and chill.

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

1/4 cup cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt (substitute whole milk yogurt if Greek yogurt is unavailable)
2 Tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste

Toss the cucumbers with salt and drain in colander for 30 minutes. Pat the cucumbers dry to remove moisture and excess salt. Mix the cucumbers with the yogurt, red onion, herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Minted Yogurt Sauce

2 cups plain yogurt, whole milk or Non Fat
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves
1 tsp. salt

In a sieve lined with a single thickness of dampened paper towels set over a bowl, let the yogurt drain for 2 hours. In a dry small heavy skillet, toast the cumin seeds over moderate heat shaking the skillet for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they turn several shades darker and begin to pop. Then, pulverize them in a spice or coffee grinder.

In a blender or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, blend the drained yogurt, the sour cream, the mint leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of the pulverized cumin seeds, and the salt until the mixture is a pale green. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and chill, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle the remaining pulverized cumin seeds decoratively over the sauce. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.