Garlic Mayo Sauce (and 4 Fast-Food Sauces from One Base)
گارلک مایو ساس (اور ایک بیس سے ۴ فاسٹ فوڈ ساسیں)
Garlic mayo is the sauce that turns fries into a meal: the pale, garlicky dip that comes with broast, shawarma and every burger in Pakistan. Shop versions are often thinned with water and starch. This one is thick and fresh, made from good mayonnaise, a little yogurt to lighten it, fresh garlic and lemon. From the same base you can make four more sauces for a home fast-food night.
- ⏱ Total: 5 min
- Prep: 5 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Grate the garlic on the finest side of a grater, or crush it to a paste with a pinch of salt using the flat of a knife. Fine garlic spreads evenly; chunks give sharp, raw bites.
Whisk the mayonnaise and yogurt together until smooth. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, sugar and herbs.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the garlic mellows into the sauce. Taste, and add a little more lemon or salt if needed. For a pouring sauce, thin with 1–2 tablespoons of milk.
Variations from the same base: Zinger sauce: add 1 tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce. Burger sauce: add 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp mustard and 1 tbsp chopped pickled cucumber. Mint mayo: add 2 tbsp green chutney. Smoky mayo: add ½ tsp smoked paprika, a pinch of cumin and 1 tsp chili sauce.
Kitchen notes
Keeps 3 days in a closed jar in the fridge. Because it contains fresh garlic and yogurt, don't leave it out in hot weather for more than an hour.
For a lighter dip, use half mayonnaise and half thick strained yogurt.
Children often prefer it without the raw garlic: use ½ tsp garlic powder instead.
The sauce on every counter
Walk into any burger, broast or shawarma shop in Pakistan and you’ll find a squeeze bottle of pale garlic sauce. It’s what children dip their fries into and what makes a chicken shawarma or paratha roll juicy. Making it at home takes five minutes and tastes much fresher.
Why add yogurt
Mayonnaise alone is very rich and can feel heavy with fried food. A quarter of thick yogurt makes the sauce lighter and gives a slight tang that cuts through the oil, the way a raita does with biryani. Strained or hung yogurt keeps it thick.
One base, five sauces
Once you have the garlic base, small additions give you a whole sauce station. Zinger sauce (with ketchup and chili garlic sauce) is the creamy orange sauce in a zinger burger. Burger sauce goes on a smash burger. Mint mayo suits grilled chicken and kebabs, and the smoky version is good with loaded fries and wings.
Serving
Serve in small bowls with crispy fried chicken, chicken nuggets and fries, spread inside sandwiches and wraps, or drizzle over loaded fries.
Questions people ask
Is this the same as shawarma toum?
No. Lebanese toum is a fluffy emulsion of garlic, oil and lemon with no egg or mayonnaise. Pakistani shawarma shops use a mayo-based garlic sauce like this one.
Why is my garlic sauce bitter?
Old garlic with green shoots, or too much of it, turns bitter. Remove any green centre and let the sauce rest so the flavour softens.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 190
- Protein
- 1 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
