Tzatziki
- Prep
- 10 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Makes
- 250 g
Equipment
- grater
Ingredients
- 200 g Cucumber , grated (2 Persian or 1 short)
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil , plus a dash
-
150 g
Greek yogurt
, make sure is full-fat w/ no sugar ↳ or sheep / goat yogurt
Also known as: natural greek yoghurt, yoghourt
Substitutes: strained yogurt
- 1 tbsp Lemon , juice
- ½ clove Garlic , finely grated into paste
- 2 pinches Salt
- 1 tbsp Dill , freshly chopped
- 1 tbsp Mint (optional) , freshly chopped
Method
-
1
Grate the cucumber, put it on a strainer with a pinch of salt and let it rest for 20-30 min. I either use the julienne insert of ~4mm in my mandoline or the largest holes on the grater, try and see what works best for you.
-
2
Cut the clove in half lengthwise and remove the germ (center sprout), grate one half into a fine paste (use a microplane if you have one), add a pinch of salt, mix well with the lemon juice and a dash of olive oil and let it steep.
-
3
Notice all the water released by the cucumber, squeeze out remaining liquid using a kitchen towel, muslin, cheesecloth or your hands.
-
4
Mix everything together. Add to the cucumber the yogurt, steeped garlic with the lemon juice, chopped herbs, taste and salt if needed, and finally the finishing olive oil. Let it rest and chill until serving time.
Notes
• Adding salt to grated cucumber makes it release the excess water giving your dip a firmer consistency. If you want you can collect with a glass the cucumber water, add a splash of soda water (and/or anything else you can think of), a bunch of ice and you have a refreshing summer beverage. • Blanch the garlic (or microwave it a few seconds) if you want to mellow it. • Leaving the finished tzatziki rest for at least 30 min (ideally a few hours) in the fridge subdues the aggressiveness of raw garlic and helps the flavours meld. • If the yogurt is not thick enough you can strain it in the fridge overnight using a cheesecloth or similar