Sauteed Vegetables in Haydari (Turkish Yogurt/Garlic) Sauce

6-7 medium carrots, diced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of whole cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
16 ounces plain yogurt

Add oil, salt, cumin seeds and carrots to a medium flat pan with a lid over
medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking or stirring occasionally. Add 2
crushed or minced cloves garlic and turn the heat to low. Let it cook for about
10 minutes or until the carrots are done to your preference. Add the turmeric,
stir, then turn the heat off and let the carrots cool.

Add some salt to the yogurt, then crush a half of one small clove garlic into
the yogurt and mix well. Add the yogurt to the cooled carrots, let stand for 10
minutes. Serve with pita wedges or pita chips as an appetizer, or as a vegetable
side dish.

I have also had very good luck using cauliflower or Brussels sprouts in this
dish. These vegetables don't soften correctly in a saute pan so I steam them for
8-10 minutes before using them in this recipe. I have a microwave bowl with a
lid which works well for steaming but you can also use any bowl with plastic
wrap over it, with one side left unsealed to allow steam to escape. Or, you
could blanch the vegetables in boiling water on the stove to pre-soften.

Large recipe:

4-6 cups of Brussels sprouts
1 medium head cauliflower
2 medium stalks broccoli
5-6 carrots
5 cloves garlic
cumin seeds
turmeric
sea salt
olive oil
32 ounces plain yogurt

OPTIONAL: can add up to 1/2 cup chopped dill, some minced chilis, up to
1/4 cup of crumbled feta, or some cumin to haydari sauce

Add water and steamer insert to large stock pot, and start heating on high.

Carefully cut all the florets off of the cauliflower, and cut all florets
to bite size. Cut the bottom 1-2" off the stem, and chop the stem into 1"
cubes. Similarly cut/chop/dice the broccoli stems. By now the water should
be boiling. Add the Brussels sprouts and set the timer for 2 minutes. After
2 minutes, add the cauliflower and broccoli and set the timer for an
additional 10 minutes.

Start a wok heating over low heat, to get hot. Peel & chop the carrots into
bite-sized pieces. Turn the wok to high, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and
immediately add a couple large pinches of cumin seeds to the oil, then add 1
teaspoon of turmeric to the oil and let it bloom for 10-15 seconds, then add the
carrots and stir thoroughly. Put on the lid and let cook for 5 minutes, then
crush in 3 cloves of garlic and add 3-4 pinches of sea salt. Stir well, then
put the lid back on and continue to cook.

When the vegetables are done steaming, dump them gently into a colander and
drain as thoroughly as possible, then add them to the wok and toss to coat.
Taste and adjust oil, garlic, salt and turmeric as necessary. Put the lid
on and cook an additional 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Put the yogurt into a medium bowl. Add some salt to the yogurt, then crush one
to two cloves garlic into the yogurt and mix well.

Serve the vegetables in a large bowl with the yogurt sauce over the top.
Excellent served over 2-cumin rice.