Kosher Blog

Not-Quite-Yogurt Sauce

This past Shabbat we had a bunch of friends over for dinner, including a couple of vegetarians. Although I am usually delighted to make a vegetarian meal, given the size and makeup of the crowd I opted for a chicken main course. Every other dish (including a Moroccan-style chickpea stew served over couscous, as an alternate protein) was vegetarian friendly, but one of the vegetarian guests offered to whip up a batch of zucchini fritters in my kitchen as well. “I usually serve this with a dill-yogurt sauce,” he said. Alas – no yogurt with chicken.

So we improvised a lovely pareve (and vegan!) substitute for his yogurt sauce. Not only did it go nicely with the zucchini fritters, but it was wonderful drizzled over the chickpeas as well. I look forward to making a variation (without the dill or garlic) as a base for a pareve raita some time in the future.

“Yogurt” Sauce with Dill and Garlic

• about 3/4 lb silken tofu (do not use soft or firm)
• 1/3 to 2/3 cup unsweetened rice milk
• juice of 1 lemon, more to taste
• a generous pinch or two of salt
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed (frozen is fine, but do not use powder)
• 1 tsp finely chopped dill

1. Combine tofu and 1/3 cup rice milk in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add more rice milk, a little at a time, until sauce is just a bit thicker than desired.
2. Add lemon juice and salt and process until completely blended. Taste – it should taste more or less like yogurt that has been thinned with a little water. Add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
3. Add garlic and dill and process until fully combined.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour to let flavors mingle. May be stored in the refrigerator for a few days; if it starts to curdle a bit, just mix well until smooth.