Making a good tzatziki very much depends on the quality of the chosen yoghurt, not to mention how long you have drained both yoghurt and cucumber. If you’re not patient and fail to do this properly you’ll have a tzatziki with too much water in it – a wet tzatziki, doesn’t sound too good, does it! Both yoghurt and cucumber need to drain for at least three hours, even better if you have the time to to drain them over night.
In my tzatziki I have used unflavored Greek yoghurt since it’s quite thick, smooth and creamy. The thicker it is, the less liquid it contains and the better tzatziki you will have.
The strong taste of garlic smoothens when kept in yoghurt for at least 1-2 hours before you add any other ingredients. Dill is the last thing to add just before serving.
PORTION: 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 500 g Greek or Turkish yoghurt
- 1 big cucumber
- coarsely chopped fresh dill fronds
- 1-2 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- olive oil
- lemon juice
The first photo shows how to peel the cucumber, while the second one shows how thick a good yoghurt is before draining it.
All you need to drain the yoghurt is a coffee filter, a funnel and a glass. The coffee filter will take about 500 g of yoghurt. After three hours worth of draining there will be about 1,5 dl water in the glass and the yoghurt is ready to use.
Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater straight into a sieve. Add two teaspoons of salt and toss well. Toss and press every now and then while draining to strengthen the dewatering.
Mince one garlic clove, add it in the yoghurt and taste, usually one is enough but if needed, you can add another. After one or two hours you can add the grated cucumber and just a little bit olive oil. Chopped fresh dill will be added shortly before serving.
Tags: cucmber Greek youghurt tzatziki vegetarian vegan Greek cuisine
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