NYC Halal-Cart White Sauce (Copycat Recipe)

I miss NYC!!! :( Ever since I attended HS in midtown Manhattan and also worked in the city, one of my favorite lunches I always sought out was from those Halal carts. I LOVE the gyro platters they sold! (Basmati rice with chicken or gyro meat) The one component that always elevated the dish was the white sauce they drizzled over it. I can literally eat that sauce by the spoonful; it's so delicious.

The sauce was apparently created by The Halal Guys, who got their franchise start with halal carts in midtown Manhattan, back in 1990. (To think I was only 4 yrs old at the time!)

I personally think one of the best foods in NYC is obviously NYC Pizza and Gyros ;) So I went on a quest to replicate this iconic sauce (still working on recreating NYC pizza though!)

Servings: 1¼ cups of sauce

2 to 4 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon of chopped fresh dill

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Start by crushing the cloves of garlic on a chopping board. Take a heavy knife, (a chef's knife), and place the blade flat on the clove. Use the heel of your hand to press the blade down on the clove then drag the knife to smear the garlic on the cutting board.

You can also use a garlic press or a granite mortar and pestle set for this step.*

Combine the crushed garlic and remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk away until everything is combined. That's it! Enjoy! :)

*If you're interested in buying a Granite Mortar and Pestle Set, I got mine here: www.webstaurantstore.com/5-1-2-black-granite-mortar-and-p...

**You can also buy garlic paste at the store but I love the taste of fresh pressed garlic. Totally up to you!

Servings: 1¼ cups of sauce

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