Tzatziki is a refreshing dip which is excellent for any season. This dip is fast and easy to make. It takes just about 5 minutes and goes along splendidly with almost any fried food, such as french fries, fried dumplings, eggplants, but it works just as well with any type of meat.
About tzatziki
Similar dips can be found under various forms and names in the Middle East, but especially in the Balkans. In Turkey, a similar dip is called cacık, hence the Greek name tzatziki, and in Bulgaria you will find it under the name of tarator. However, Greek tzatziki is slightly different from the others, mainly because it is more solid. Both tarator and cacık are more fluid when compared to it.
You can enjoy tzatziki anywhere in Greece, under various forms, such as a meze or a dip for the main course. Now, Balkazaar will show you how to prepare it yourselves, in your own kitchen, whenever you feel like eating something which will remind you of your summer holidays in Greece.
Enjoy!
Tzatziki ingredients
– 350-400 grams of Greek yogurt
– 1 large cucumber or 2 smaller ones
– 2-3 garlic cloves
– 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil
– lemon juice from half a lemon
– oregano
– salt
– pepper
– dill
Tzatziki recipe
Squeeze half a lemon in a bowl. Separately, grate the cucumber (it’s your choice if you prefer to peel it or not) and squeeze it very thoroughly.
It’s important to squeeze the grated cucumber as much as possible, otherwise your tzatziki will end up watery and won’t be as tasty.
Grind the garlic and add it over the grated and squeezed cucumber, then add the Greek yogurt.
It’s recommended that you use strained Greek yogurt. If you can’t find any, you can use normal yogurt left to strain overnight in a cloth-lined strainer. After that, add salt and pepper to taste, as much oregano as you wish, but without overdoing it, and then pour the lemon juice and oil. We used dill only for decoration, but it can be added as an ingredient, to taste, in the desired quantity.
The order doesn’t matter, just don’t forget to add all the ingredients. If you don’t have any lemon juice, you can add a little vinegar, but no more than a teaspoon.
Mix everything thoroughly so as to blend together all the ingrendients. After that, you can garnish the tzatziki with a little oregano, a sprig of dill and, if you feel like it, a few olives.
