Three Sauces · Tested twice

Three Sauces

The column that does the most work. The same chicken and rice tastes like a different dinner under each of these, which is why nine components stretch to twenty-seven.

3Recipes here
9Combinations each
5 daysKeeps
2×Tested
1

Green Herb Yogurt

10 min · 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup soft herbs — parsley, cilantro, dill or a mix
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
Method
  1. Blend everything until smooth and pale green, scraping down once.
  2. Taste and add salt and lemon until it tastes sharp rather than flat — yogurt dulls seasoning more than you expect.
  3. Refrigerate in a sealed jar. It thickens as it sits; loosen with a spoonful of water before serving.
2

Chili Crisp Vinaigrette

10 min · 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup chili crisp, including the oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
Method
  1. Whisk everything together in a jar, or shake with the lid on.
  2. Taste for balance: it should be hot, sour and slightly sweet in roughly that order. Add vinegar if it tastes heavy.
  3. Refrigerate. The chili solids settle — shake before each use.
3

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

15 min · 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 cups jarred roasted red peppers, drained
  • 1/3 cup almonds or walnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
Method
  1. Toast the nuts in a dry pan for 4 minutes until fragrant, then cool slightly.
  2. Blend with the peppers, garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika until nearly smooth.
  3. With the blender running, pour in the olive oil to emulsify, then season.
  4. Refrigerate sealed. It is better on day two, once the garlic has mellowed.
Where each one goes

What we would put with each, though every combination on the grid works.

Green herb yogurtAnything, honestly — but best with sumac chicken or chickpeas
Chili crisp vinaigretteSalmon and sesame noodles, or chickpeas for heat
Roasted red pepperChickpeas and rice pilaf, or chicken and couscous
The bit that matters

Make all three. One sauce across nine component combinations gets dull fast; three sauces is what turns the same chicken and rice into a dinner you have not had this week. They take ten minutes each and keep the longest of anything on the grid.

*Calorie figures are per portion of each component and are estimates from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.

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