Simple, Bold Yogurt Dips
A few key ingredients transform yogurt into fresh, flavorful dips and sauces
Across the Middle East and Caucasus, thick strained yogurts frequently are used in savory dishes to add tangy, cooling flavors and a creamy texture. Often, they are seasoned quite simply—sometimes with little more than a handful of fresh herbs and garlic—yet they flavor boldly. Fuller-bodied and more tart than sour cream, the yogurt has enough acidity to wake up ingredients, making it the perfect vehicle for a wide variety of spice blends, herbs and other high-impact flavors. These easy stir-together combinations (using thick Greek yogurt, a close approximation to the strained yogurt of the Middle East) make ideal dips for crudités platters and bread. They also can accompany roasted vegetables and meats, rice and beans, or hearty soups and stews.
Shaula Clark
Shaula Clark is a Boston-based writer and editor. Her six-year stint as managing editor of Milk Street’s magazine absolutely leveled up her cooking game—though her trusty canine sous chef, Roxie the Schipperke, remains unimpressed unless cheese is involved. In the kitchen, she likes to get weird, with experiments yielding both great success (absinthe sorbet) and dismal failure (liquid smoke-infused rice paper “bacon”). Thanks to a terrifyingly productive tomato garden, Milk Street’s salmorejo—a luscious Andalusian tomato soup—has become a particular favorite recipe. She is, for the record, also staunchly pro-ketchup. Disagreements over her stance on condiments may be sent to .
