On hot days, cool your taste buds down with a fresh yogurt sauce that pairs well with numerous entrees.
Go beyond basic burgers at your next cookout with recipes from Hugh Mangum’s new book Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes from Across the Globe. With the help of Irvington-based food writer Shana Liebman, Mangum—known as the pitmaster behind the East Coast chain Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque—details how to make 280 dishes from more than 80 countries. This recipe for Indian yogurt sauce is guaranteed to hit the spot.

Indian Yogurt Sauce
Recipe by Hugh MangumCourse: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy1.5
cups30
minutes30
minutesThis Indian yogurt sauce is highly refreshing and great for everything from skewers to pita wraps.
Ingredients
1 large English cucumber, peeled
1 tsp salt, plus extra to taste
1 cup Greek yogurt
½ tsp garam masala
â…› tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 small serrano chile, minced
Directions
- Grate the cucumber into a colander. Add the salt, toss, and set aside in the sink for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the cucumber, then squeeze dry with a towel. Transfer it to a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garam masala, and the cayenne pepper. Add the yogurt mixture to the bowl of cucumbers. Stir in the cilantro and serrano chile. Season to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir before serving with Indian vegetable skewers.
Excerpted from Barbecue © 2025 by Hugh Mangum. Photography © 2025 by Nico Schinco. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.
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