Tzatziki
Greek yogurt dip with grated cucumber, garlic, dill and a splash of olive oil. The Greek table staple; goes with bread, grilled meats, vegetables, anything. The trick is squeezing the cucumber dry - wet cucumber gives a watery dip.
Overview
Cucumber grates, salts, sits in a sieve to drain. Squeezed thoroughly. Mixes with thick Greek yogurt, crushed garlic, dill (or mint), olive oil, lemon and salt. Served chilled with a final swirl of oil and dill on top.
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber (peeled if waxy, otherwise leave the skin)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for draining)
- 400 g full-fat Greek yogurt (the thick strained kind)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more to finish)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped) or fresh mint
- ½ teaspoon salt
- A grind of black pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Drain the cucumber
- Halve the cucumber lengthways; scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon.
- Coarsely grate or finely chop.
- Toss with the teaspoon of salt; sit in a sieve over a bowl for 30 minutes.
- Squeeze the cucumber HARD in a clean cloth or your hands until very little water comes out (this is essential).
Stage 2 - Mix
- In a bowl, combine the squeezed cucumber, yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
- Stir until well combined.
- Taste; the dip should be assertive - bright with lemon, garlic-forward, salted enough.
Stage 3 - Chill
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes for flavours to meld (longer is fine; up to a day).
Stage 4 - Serve
- Spoon into a shallow bowl.
- Make a swirl with the back of a spoon; pool a little olive oil in it.
- Scatter extra dill or mint.
Notes
- Squeeze the cucumber: Most home tzatziki fails here. Wet cucumber dilutes everything. Get it bone-dry.
- Greek yogurt thick: Strained Greek yogurt; not "Greek-style" yogurt which is thinner. If using regular yogurt, drain through muslin for an hour.
- Dill OR mint, not both: Each gives a different dish. Dill is the more common; mint tilts more toward Turkish cacık.
Storage
- Keeps 3-4 days refrigerated; the cucumber softens but the flavour holds. Stir before serving.
More like this
Kashk-E-Bademjan
Aubergines roast or pan-fry until soft and silky. The flesh mashes with caramelised onion and garlic into a soft paste. Kashk thins with a splash of water and folds through. The dish plates in a wide bowl, scored with the back of a spoon. Topped with crispy fried shallots, dried mint sizzled in oil, swirls of kashk, and chopped toasted walnut.*
Lahori Mint Chutney
A bunch of mint and a bunch of coriander are blended with green chilli, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, cumin and a small handful of roasted gram (for body). Thick natural yogurt is folded in at the end. The chutney finishes bright green, sharp and cool; designed to cut through the richness of chargha, boti and chapli kebabs.
Melitzanosalata (Greek Aubergine Dip)
Whole aubergines char directly over flame or under a hot grill until the skin blackens and the inside collapses to softness. Cool, peel, drain on a sieve 15 minutes to release excess water. Roughly chop the flesh; mix with crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and balance. Serve in a wide bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Mutabbal Shawandar
Whole beetroots roast in foil at 200°C until a knife slides through (45 minutes for medium beets). Peeled while still warm. Blended with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, salt, cumin and a small drizzle of olive oil into a thick, vivid pink-purple dip. Topped with a final swirl of tahini, a sprinkle of sumac, parsley and a few pomegranate seeds.