Mint yogurt dip is a versatile sauce used in Mediterranean and Indian cuisines. It can be cooked separately or with meat, used as a dipping sauce, and works well with lamb and vegetables. Fresh mint and plain yogurt are the main ingredients, and Greek yogurt is a good base. Indian cuisine uses mint and yogurt in raita, a cool condiment.
Mint Yogurt Dip is a combination of mint, yogurt and other ingredients. It is a cooking mainstay in many different Mediterranean cuisines, and versions appear in India, the Near East, and in many different fusion cooking styles. This sauce can be cooked separately, cooked with meat or other main ingredients, or used as a dipping sauce and decoration for foods cooked without sauce. It works especially well with rich, game meats, such as lamb, and light vegetable dishes.
The mint used in the mint yogurt dip should be fresh. Any common variety of mint will do, and common varieties, such as peppermint, are often the easiest to find fresh. Enterprising gardeners can easily grow enough mint to make mint yogurt dip as this plant is tremendously hardy and adaptable.
Any type of plain yogurt can be used in mint yogurt dips. Greek yogurt, which is thicker and richer than many yogurt varieties and also quite tangy, makes a good base for this sauce. Yogurts with a higher fat concentration than milk typically make richer, smoother, and creamier sauces, though they also add more calories and fat to the finished dish. When cooking with low-fat yogurt, it may be advisable to strain and mix sauces thoroughly to ensure smoothness.
Lamb and mint are often paired as the fragrant sweetness of the mint accentuates the rich, gamey flavor of the lamb. Mint yogurt dip is commonly used to make this pairing possible. In Greek cooking, a thick mint-yoghurt sauce is often served with roast lamb and sometimes used to baste a lamb near the end of the cooking process. This type of sauce is often flavored with garlic and can be sweetened, usually with honey, to further accentuate the flavor of the lamb.
A fresh and usually uncooked version of mint yogurt sauce is often used as a light dipping sauce for flatbread or vegetables. This type of sauce combines the softness and richness of the yogurt base with the delicate flavor of mint. Garlic, pepper and similar flavorings are often used to accompany such a sauce. Sumac, when available, adds a rich complexity to the flavor of such a dip.
Indian cuisine also makes use of the combination of mint and yogurt. Raita, a fresh and rich condiment that is common in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, is often made with mint and yogurt. This dipping sauce can be flavored with other seasonings common to subcontinental cuisine, but is generally not spicy, serving as a cool accompaniment to more fiery dishes.
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