Yogurt relishes are eaten with meals throughout India. They are nearly always savory, though in western states like Gujarat a little sugar is added as well as the salt to give a sweet-sour-salty flavor.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4¿6

　　1 1/4 cups plain yogurt

　　1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　1/4 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

　　1/2 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated

　　2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　1 small shallot, peeled and cut into fine slivers

　　

Step 1

Put the yogurt in a bowl. Beat lightly with a whisk or a fork until smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, sugar, ginger, and apple. Stir to mix.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a very small pan or small frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 10 seconds and add the shallots. Stir and fry on medium heat until the slivers just start to turn brown at the edges. Empty the contents of the pan, including the oil, into the yogurt mixture. Stir to mix.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.