To make tzatziki, grate a cucumber, salt it ten minutes, and squeeze it violently dry in a towel, then stir it into a cup and a half of thick Greek yogurt with two grated garlic cloves, a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon, and chopped dill. Rest an hour.
What is tzatziki?
Tzatziki is the cold counterweight of the Greek table, thick yogurt loaded with cucumber and garlic, there to cool whatever came off the fire. Its entire quality question is water management: cucumber is 96 percent water, and every gram you fail to squeeze out reappears as a puddle in the bowl within the hour.
The second decision is garlic and herb. Two raw cloves is standard and assertive, grated so they dissolve. Dill is the taverna default, mint is equally traditional and reads brighter, and the two together is not a compromise but a style.
What goes in tzatziki?
- ·1.5 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- ·1 English cucumber (or 2 Persian)
- ·1/2 tsp salt, for the cucumber
- ·2 garlic cloves, grated fine
- ·1 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve
- ·1 tsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- ·1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or mint, or both)
- ·Black pepper to taste
Two parts yogurt to one part squeezed cucumber. Full-fat yogurt holds the water line better than low-fat, if your yogurt is thin, strain it in a coffee filter for an hour first.
How do you make tzatziki?
- Grate the cucumber coarsely, toss with the half teaspoon of salt, and rest ten minutes in a sieve.
- Wrap it in a clean towel and squeeze until nothing more drips. This step is the recipe.
- Stir the cucumber into the yogurt with garlic, oil, vinegar, dill, and pepper.
- Rest at least one hour refrigerated, the garlic mellows and the flavors marry.
- Serve cold with a thread of olive oil on top. Keeps three days.
What should you know before making tzatziki?
- Weigh your squeeze: a properly wrung cucumber loses about half its weight in water.
- Better on day one after the rest, still good on day three, stir off any surface water.
- Serve with gyros and souvlaki obviously, but also as the sauce for salmon, lamb burgers, roasted carrots, and fried zucchini.
Where did tzatziki come from?
Yogurt-cucumber sauces run from India\u2019s raita through Turkey\u2019s cacik to the Greek taverna\u2019s tzatziki, cousins along the old routes. The Greek version distinguishes itself by thickness: strained yogurt, wrung cucumber, and no water anywhere.
What can you make from tzatziki?
Common questions.
Why is my tzatziki watery?
Unsqueezed cucumber, thin yogurt, or both. Salt and wring the cucumber in a towel, use full-fat Greek yogurt, and the sauce holds for days.
Dill or mint in tzatziki?
Both are traditional. Dill is the mainland taverna standard, mint is brighter and beloved with lamb. Using both is common and correct.
How long does tzatziki keep?
Three days refrigerated. The garlic strengthens as it sits, so if you are making it two days ahead, use one clove instead of two.