Dipping Sauce « V I R U N D H U

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JFI: Garlic - Tzatziki, Greek Yogurt Sauce

Posted by Mathy Kandasamy | Filed under Garlic, Dipping Sauce, Yoghurt, Jihva For Ingredients(JFI), Archives

Yogurt has been used as the base of a sauce everywhere. The flavoring differs from culture to culture. Its uses are very many. Dip, tongue coolant ;), base of a curry, condiment, salad dressing, side dish, traditional sandwich filler (eg. Shawarma).

The yoghurt sauce, I am going to present here today is quite a popular one. Most of you would have consumed it. Tzatziki. Quite a mouthful, I know. But the taste! Ooomf! Tzatziki is quite popular in the Mediteranian region. Almost all the cultures from that region has a variant of this delightful yogurt sauce, all the way from Bulgaria to Iran. Tzatziki is quite similar to the thayir pachadi prepared in South India.

Now what is the one ingredient in Tzatziki that lends the ‘oompf!’?

Yes! Garlic.

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt, as per taste
black pepper, as per taste

Traditionally thick Greek yogurt would be used for Tzatziki. Or regular yogurt would be strained in a cheesecloth. But, I prefer to use plain low-fat yogurt without draining out the whey.

The same goes for cucumber. Usually finely chopped cucumber would be mixed with a little salt and would be placed in a colander to draw out the water. I don’t do this either.

If you want, you can follow the above steps.

In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix nicely. It would not even take you more than 5 minutes to assemble this dish. But, do it atleast 30 minutes before serving. Keep it refrigerated and let the flavors mingle.

I usually use Tzatziki like ‘thayir pachadi’ or raita. In Shawarma. In a quick sandwich. As a salad dressing. As a dip with toasted pita bread. As a summer coolant with water. The possibilities are endless. I would love to know how you use it.

JFI: Garlic - Toum - Lebanese Garlic Sauce/Mayonnaise

Posted by Mathy Kandasamy | Filed under Garlic, Dipping Sauce, Jihva For Ingredients(JFI), Archives

I am not a big fan of chain enterprises. Hence, most of my friends know my dislike for fast-food and the reasons behind and beyond the food issues. Most of us try to check out small eateries. And when a small pizzeria opened up in my neighbourhood a few years ago, my friends were one of the first people to try their spicy chicken wings. The very next day, quite a few people straggled into check out the new favourite of our friends. And there I tasted a new kind of mayonnaise that was served with the french fries.

Mayonnaise is usually served with the french fries in Northern Europe. But this is not the regular mayonnaise. The store was run by people, originally from the Middle-east. And there was an elusive taste in the mayonnaise which hooked me upuntil the last lick. Now.. I have to really know what this is. When it was my turn to pay the bill, I complimented mayonnaise and was told that it was their traditional recipe. I asked them where they were from and rushed home to google. And that’s how I came in touch with ‘Toum’ - the fabulous Lebanese Garlic Sauce. And if you every have to have mayonnaise, this is the one you should turn to. Especially if you are a garlic lover, like yours truly.

Mayonnaise, Sandwich spread, Shish Touk, Falafel, Tuna Salad, Salad dressing, Potato Salad, Mashed Potatoes. Well, you get the idea.

Recipe:

4 cloves garlic, smashed and then peeled
1/4 cup oil, (more or less). I used Olive Oil.
salt, as per taste
1 lemon, juiced

This recipe does not come with correct measurements. Cooks from the Indian sub-continent are quite familiar with these words. Most of our recipes does not have exact measurements. It’s not like baking a cake. Each cook has his/her own way with the spices. Remember that when gathering ingredients for this recipe. Be a bit more generous. But, dont be suprised if you don’t get to use up all ingredients.

Traditionally, a mortor and wooden pestle were used to make Toum. Read the wikibook recipe. But modern cooks use a Blender. You need a blender and not a food-processor.

First, blend garlic and salt to a nice paste.

Add olive oil in small amounts and blend for a few seconds. for every two time you add the olive oil, add half a teaspoon full of lemon juice and blend away. Mind you, the blender should run only for a few seconds each time.

As you keep alternating between the olive oil and lemon juice, a nice white cloud would start to form. Keep building on it to reach the amount you need.

Taste and add salt if you want.

If for some reason if the sauce did not come together don’t despair. Add a little lemon juice and blend for a few seconds. Or if you feel you should add olive oil. Go ahead. Use your intuition and be bold. The results are worth it.

Nuoc Cham

Posted by Mathy Kandasamy | Filed under Vietnamese, Salad Dressing, Dipping Sauce, Archives

Vietnamese cuisine is one of my favourite cuisines. I love the fresh herbs used in the everyday cooking. The abundant use of chillies is something else that’s quite attractive to me. And I use various dipping sauces for salads.

Nuoc Cham is the basic dipping sauce from Vietnam. It uses one of my favourite ingredients. Chillies! I dont follow the instructions exactly. I just go by the quantity involved. Here’s a basic outline.

Recipe:

1 pod garlic - chopped
1 red chilli - chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish-sauce (Vegetarians could substitute soy-sauce)
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sqeezed lime juice

Use the mortor and pestle. Assemble garlic, chillie and sugar and start pounding. It does not take much time to make them into a coarse paste. Scrape them out and stir in the fish-sauce (or soy-sauce), water and lime juice. And mix nicely.

I usually make them whenever I want to. But, you can increase the quantity and store them in the fridge.