A GLOBALISED GUIDE TO THE BEST IN FOOD: COOKING IT, EATING IT AND ENJOYING IT!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tzaziki
















This classic Hellenic dip is another good appetiser at barbecues and with drinks. It is important to use good thick yogurt. If all you can get is the supermarket mass-produced variety, leave it
out of the fidge overnight and then put it in a sieve lined with a coffe filter for 6-8 hours to drain out the excess liquid. The result should be thick and spoonable. This is my own version.

Ingredients
  • 250 ml Greek yogurt or 500 ml supermarket plain yogurt.
  • 1 large clove garlic finely chopped.
  • 1 seedless cucumber, or cut a regular cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
  • 30 ml finely chopped mint.
  • 15 ml finely chopped dill fronds.
  • Sea salt to taste.
  • A few grinds of black pepper.
  • Drain the yogurt for 6-8 hours on the countertop.
  • Grate the cucumber, lightly salt and drain in a sieve for at least an hour.
  • Rinse and squeeze the cucumber shreds dry.

Mix all the ingredients together, add salt & pepper to taste. Please do not use regular table salt - too acrid. Now you can put it in the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to combine. Give it a stir and adjust the salt before serving with pita chips. Yummo!

2 comments:

Em said...

Reminds me of raita - without the chilli powder :)

Slimseun said...

Yes, almost a raita, and certainly a good idea to use as one, but in that case, I would not drain the yogurt. I expect one can find a number of these yogurt-based dips in the range between Calcutta and Istanbul