Spicy Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce

Cucumber sans seeds
Originally uploaded by galaxygoo1


Sliced Green Onions
Originally uploaded by galaxygoo1

So, here I'm making a yogurt based sauce (or dip) similar to tzatziki and raita. One of the things I love is that it's great as leftovers the next day. So I always make a little extra.

First, I finely mince a clove of garlic and toss it in the bowl. Next, the fresh herbs (dill, cilantro, and mint) get chopped up and tossed in the bowl. To this I add thinly sliced green onions, both the white and green parts.

Now comes the tricky part...seeding the cucumber. Actually, it's not tricky at all. Once pealed and sliced in half, a simple tea spoon easily scoops out the seeds. Now I don't have to worry about liquid from the seeds, and the cucumber is ready to be diced into small chunks and tossed in the bowl.

A little salt and pepper...and I decide to add a little ground coriander this time, too.

Now it's time for the yogurt. Rather than measure it out, I add enough to cover all of the ingredients in the bowl. This way I don't have to worry about chopping up just the right amount of cucumber. I like to have cucumber in every bite.

After mixing, I give it a taste. If the flavors are a bit too strong, I add more yogurt. Letting it chill in the fridge can also mellow it out a bit.

By the way, I've seen recipes that call for several cloves of garlic. I prefer to use just one, especially since the local garlic has been pretty strong lately.