Tzatziki
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Overnight in refrigerator (optional)
- Easy
- Makes Portions
A classic meze consisting of Greek yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and mint. There are many variants of this recipe, this is my take on it.
Tzatziki makes a very nice condiment for gyros or kebabs. It goes very well with pork or lamb. It's also very nice served as a dip with pita bread triangles.
Ingredients
- 150g Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 - 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tsp chopped or dried mint (or dill)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
Method
- STEP 1Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthways and de-seed using a teaspoon, then coarsely grate.
- STEP 2Put grated cucumber into a sieve suspended over a bowl, sprinkle over 1/2 tsp of salt and mix through. Place a plate on top of cucumber and allow cucumber to drain for approximately 1 hour, or until water stops dripping (whichever is first).
- STEP 3Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- STEP 4The flavours combine better if given time so I prefer to leave it in a sealed container in the refrigerator overnight.
- STEP 5If Greek yoghurt is not available then you can make your own Greek style from plain yoghurt by suspending a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, adding the yoghurt and allowing it to drain for 2-3 hours, or longer if thicker yoghurt is preferred, in a refrigerator. A paper coffee filter can be used as an alternative to a cheesecloth, following the above method.
