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A Foodie's Diary: Tzatziki

May 08 2014.

I know what you’re thinking. Tzatziki, am I reading this right? How on earth do I pronounce it, let alone eat it. Dear Diary, this is a difficult entry for me to make; it’s 11.35 pm and I’m hungering for Arabic food. Arabic cuisine has got to be one of the most thought provoking, exotic and deeply satisfying cuisines out there. A single bite of hummus can take me to the sands of the Sahara; I can picture it, I’m riding a camel, with the Price of Persia (Jake Gyllenhaal), as we ride into sunset, eating dates and drinking lots of mint tea.

Dates and mint tea are natural accompaniments to the usually heavy and richly flavored meaty main courses. A tart and refreshing side dish called Tzatziki, (pronounced tsäˈtsēkē) is often used to balance fatty flavours. Now, Tzatziki technically belongs to the Greeks, but most global cuisines like the Indian Raita, or the French Hollandaise, and arguably Brit’s Vinegar and Beer-Batter Fish & Chips, use the idea of a tart or citrusy flavor to balance the fattiness or the oiliness of a dish. .So, to curb my Arabic hunger pangs my menu for next week will be something like this:

Starter:

Maraq (A simple lamb broth served with sliver of lime)

Sides:

Tzatziki

Hummus with Pita bread*

Mains:

Kabsa Lamb (A rice dish served with meaty chunks of lamb and spices)

Dessert:

Banana Masoub (Made with bananas and ground Arabic bread topped with cream and honey)

*Will be in my upcoming Foodie’s Diary entry

Tzatziki is easier to make than it is to spell and it is something you can prepare ahead of time and chill in your fridge before your guests arrive. You can probably find a hundred different recipes for Tzatziki, but I find this works wonderfully well for a small party of ten.

The main ingredients are cucumber, curd and dill. There are several varieties of cucumbers out there, you have Kirby, Garden, England, Armenian and Japanese for example, but quite honestly I look for whatever looks and feels the most fresh.

Equipment

Food processor with a grater attachment / Cheese Grater

Peeler

Scissors

Large mixing bowl

Knife and Board

Wooden Spoon

Teaspoon

Colander/Strainer

Muslin (Optional)

Ingredients (Serves 10)

4 large Cucumbers –grated

1 ½ cups or 350gms of Curd

4 fat cloves of Garlic –minced

A few sprigs of Dill (or any Anise flavored herb)

Lime for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Cut the Cucumber.

Top and tail your Cucumber and peel the skin off the flesh. Split the Cucumber lengthwise to expose the seeds.

2. Hollow out Cucumber

Using your teaspoon gently remove the seeds, we want clean hallow shells that will be easy to grate. Use a large tooth Cheese Grater or food processor with the grater attachment (depending on the quantity you’re making) and grate the Cucumber.

3. Remove moisture from Cucumber and mince Garlic

Place in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring handfuls of Cucumber and place in a mixing bowl. This removes excess water—we don’t want our Tzatziki to be a runny mess. Mince your garlic.

4. Combine remaining ingredients

Measure your curd and add to the grated cucumber. (Optional: place your colander in a drip tray and line it with muslin cloth and add the curd, let it stand overnight and in the morning all the water would have drained away leaving a denser and richer curd) Add the salt to taste and snip in your dill. Mix until combined.