garlic yogurt sauce

This is a terrific sauce for eating chicken with. Since it has such a strong taste, any simple baked or grilled chicken will do. Whether it is Armenian or just general Middle Eastern in origin is not clear but there are variations in the whole region of the Eastern Mediterranean. This one comes from a lesson for bob delivered by Nora. Apparently labor saving devices like food processors or hand blenders are not allowed here. The old-fashioned mortar and pestle is not so difficult to use anyway.

ingredients

2 T vegetable oil
1/4 t salt
2–3 garlic cloves (to taste)
1 t lemon juice
1/2 c plain yogurt (dilute to taste).

instructions

  1. With mortar and pestle, slowly grind the pressed garlic with the salt making a paste for about 5 minutes. Don't be fooled by the apparently small amount of garlic/salt mixture in the bottom rim of the mortar.
  2. Then begin adding the oil 1/2 t at a time, incorporating smoothly, alternating with a few drops of the lemon juice, until both are used up.
  3. When a nice paste is formed, add the yogurt.
  4. Check for salt.
  5. Dilute with more yogurt if too strong for your tastes.
  6. Use pestle in larger bowl to smooth out the sauce until silky smooth.

notes

  1. Illustrations available.
grlcsaus.htm: 7-sep-2004 [what, ME cook? © 1984 dr bob enterprises]