The Simplest Yogurt Sauce

The Simplest Yogurt Sauce

MAKES: 1 cup TIME: 3 minutes You might not even think of this as sauce, but I swear, if you use it on grilled or roasted vegetables or as a dip, people will think you're a genius. Add a few drops of lemon juice if your yogurt isn't quite sour enough, which is...

Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce

MAKES: About 1 cup TIME: 15 minutes Familiar and widely loved, teriyaki sauce is also fast and simple. You can slather it on broiled or deep-fried tofu, add it to stir-fried vegetables which in turn can be served over rice or noodles or use it as a ketchup replacement...

Sweet Miso Glaze

Sweet Miso Glaze

MAKES: About 1/2 cup TIME: 10 minutes Miso works well as a basting sauce for grilling, broiling, or roasting vegetables or tofu. (I especially like this sauce made with red miso on mushrooms.) You can use any miso (see The Basics of Miso) for the base, but it's best...

Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce

Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce

Makhani MAKES: 2 cups TIME: 30 minutes A tomato-based sauce from India, quite rich, almost sweet, a little hot, and spicy. The butter roasting of the cumin and mustard seeds used essentially as a garnish is an Indian technique called tarka, sometimes translated as...

Soy and Sesame Dipping Sauce and Marinade, Korean Style

Soy and Sesame Dipping Sauce and Marinade, Korean Style

MAKES: About 11/2 cups TIME: 15 minutes This finger-licking-good sauce is quintessentially Korean, with its soy, sesame, sugar, and garlic. It just might be the perfect marinade for grilled tofu and is also wonderful for saucing Sushi Bowls or dipping Crudits. 1/2 cup...

Smooth Green Chile Sauce, Indian Style

Smooth Green Chile Sauce, Indian Style

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 20 minutes Nothing about this chile sauce is subtle; the color is deep green, the aroma is mouth-watering, and the flavors are intense. It's delicious with Dosa and Dry-Pan Eggplant. Add some yogurt (see the first variation), to mellow the...

Simple Miso Dipping Sauce

Simple Miso Dipping Sauce

MAKES: About 1 cup (4 servings) TIME: 15 minutes Richer and more subtle than Ponzu Sauce or other soy-based dipping sauces, this is perfect for dunking or dressing heartier foods like boiled or grilled potatoes, whole wheat pastas, and Meatless Meat balls. Serve it in...

Seaweed mayonnaise

Seaweed mayonnaise

MAKES: About 3/4 cup TIME: About 40 minutes, largely unattended Like eggs, seaweed has the ability to thicken liquids naturally, which is why it makes such a stable vegan mayonnaise it also makes one with a distinctive and very good flavor. Use this as a dip for...

Salsa Roja

Salsa Roja

MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 45 to 50 minutes This classic cooked tomato and chile sauce can be served as is or pured and used for enchiladas or tacos. The guajillo chiles lend a complex, smoky flavor, as well as moderate heat. If you want a milder salsa, substitute...

Real Ranch Dressing

Real Ranch Dressing

MAKES: 2 cups TIME: 10 minutes The big secret to ranch dressing is buttermilk powder, which is probably in the baking section of your supermarket. Nothing else delivers that characteristic buttermilk twang, and it works as a thickener to boot. 1 cup mayonnaise (to...

Radish Salsa

Radish Salsa

MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 30 minutes Radishes are hardly a classic salsa ingredient, but the technique mixing a vegetable (or fruit) with onion, an acid, chiles, and fresh herbs is downright traditional, and that's the important part. Serve this colorful salsa with...

Raw Onion Chutney

Raw Onion Chutney

MAKES: About 3/4 cup TIME: 1 hour, largely unattended I love chutneys bursting with chiles and ginger and herbs, but when you're pairing a chutney with richly flavored legumes like the dals in Simplest Dal, sometimes a simpler, more directly assaultive accompaniment...