This yogurt relish comes from the Tamil communities of Sri Lanka and is called Curd Sambol. It may be served with most South Asian meals. It may also be eaten at lunch as a salad.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 cup plain yogurt

　　1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 medium tomato, cut into small dice

　　1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped finely

　　1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

　　1/4 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

　　8–10 fresh curry leaves or 4 fresh basil leaves

　　

Step 1

Put the yogurt in a bowl. Mix gently with a whisk or fork until smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, tomatoes, and shallots and mix again.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a very small pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, a matter of seconds, add the curry leaves and then quickly lift up the pan and empty its contents into the bowl of yogurt. 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.