Meze & starters
Tzatziki: a creamy Greek yogurt and cucumber dip
Make creamy Greek tzatziki with strained yogurt, cucumber, garlic and dill. Ingredients, clear steps and serving tips from the EL GRECO food journal.
A bowl of tzatziki brings a welcome contrast to grilled food: cool yogurt, gentle acidity and a clean garlic flavour. This simple Greek meze depends on two details for its texture: thick strained yogurt and cucumber with its excess water removed.
This home recipe uses repeatable quantities without cream or mayonnaise. Adjust the dill to your taste and add garlic gradually, as its flavour becomes more pronounced while the dip rests.
LET’S COOK
Ingredients & method
Total time, including resting: 45 min
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 0 min
- Resting / cooling
- 30 min
- Servings
- 6
Step by step
Wash and coarsely grate the cucumber. If it has large watery seeds, scoop them out before grating. Mix with about 1 g of salt and leave in a sieve for 10 minutes.
Wrap the cucumber in cheesecloth or a clean food-safe towel. Squeeze until gentle pressure no longer releases water. Its drained weight will be lower than the quantity in the ingredient list.
Crush the garlic finely and mix it with the vinegar and olive oil. Stir this into the yogurt with a spoon; do not use a blender.
Fold in the drained cucumber and dill. Season with the remaining salt and a little black pepper, adjusting to taste.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Taste again before serving: the finished dip should be fresh and gently tangy, with garlic supporting rather than overpowering the yogurt.
SMALL DETAILS, BETTER RESULTS
Tips for a good result
If your yogurt is runny, strain it in a fine sieve in the refrigerator before weighing out 500 g. Undrained cucumber is a common reason for watery tzatziki. For a gentler flavour, start with half the garlic. Rather than adding sugar to soften excessive garlic, increase the yogurt and drained cucumber. Keep the dip covered and refrigerated until serving.
Serving ideas
Serve with warm pita, vegetable sticks or souvlaki. For a shared meze table, place the bowl in the centre with olives and Greek salad alongside. The dip contains milk; regular pita contains gluten.
