Add Some Halal-Style White Sauce To Your Burger For The Perfect Tang
Every burger eater has their own favorite combinations of buns, patties, toppings, and condiments. However, once in a while, a new ingredient idea comes along that's too enticing to ignore. This time, it's halal-style white sauce on the mind, and it'll add the perfect tang to your burgers.
This style of white sauce comes from the halal carts of New York City, which, according to Eater, serve "some combination of rice, greens, and halal meat either in a shallow foil dish or in a sandwich, usually with a red and white sauce to top it all off." This white sauce is said to be related to tzatziki, the Greek yogurt and cucumber condiment commonly served with gyros.
The white sauce's kick is definitely acidic in nature, making it ideal to brighten up an otherwise heavy dish of meats and carbs. The perfect place to try it outside of its original setting is then a big juicy hamburger to cut through the fat of the patty and starch of the buns. And those familiar with halal-style platters already know that the sauce goes well with different proteins (including falafels!), which means that it'll work with any kind of patty.
How to make your own white sauce
So what is in this white sauce? Flavors differ slightly from cart to cart, and exact recipes aren't publicly known, but it's inspired dozens of copycat recipes online. Cross-referencing multiple popular recipes shows that the main ingredients are tangy and creamy bases such as mayonnaise along with Greek yogurt or sour cream. Additions come in the form of either fresh or dried parsley, plus extra acidity from both white vinegar and lemon juice. Michelle Won Park and Eric Rhee's version on HuffPost swaps the parsley out for dill, while other tender herbs like cilantro would well too.
Simply add the ingredients above to a bowl along with salt and black pepper, then whisk to combine. Marzia of Little Spice Jar advises not to whisk the mixture too much as it might result in a too-thin sauce. Adjust the flavors as necessary before decanting it all into a jar or squeeze bottle. You now have a white sauce ready to drizzle onto any dish that could use a creamy lift, especially those burgers you'll be cooking over the weekend.
More ideas for white sauce
Halal carts are predominantly run by Eastern Mediterranean immigrants who bring their own flavors to street food. Other sauces of the region that bring similar vibes include the aforementioned tzatziki and toum, a pungent sauce made from emulsified raw garlic. These sauces can definitely be used for your halal-style inspired burgers as well, transporting you simultaneously to the streets of New York City and the homelands of halal cart purveyors. Curate the other burger toppings thematically as well — think of shredded lettuce, grated cucumbers, tomato slices, chopped kalamata olives, and slivers of raw onion (not coincidentally, the ingredients of a Greek salad).
As for the OG white sauce, don't just limit its use to burgers and kebabs! Try it as a dip for fries and chicken nuggets, on the side of steaks and lamb chops, even drizzled on top of pizzas. It can also be tossed into salads as a dressing or with pasta as a quick sauce. Its versatility will make it a mainstay condiment in your kitchen.