One of the simplest yet tasty accompaniments to Greek food that you can get yet people still buy tubs of processed sludge from supermarkets. Once you make your own, you'll never go back to the tubbed sludge. Easy to make in minutes and customise it to your own preferences. You'll notice there are a lot of 'optional' ingredients, but I use them all for maximum flavour. The first ingredients are all you really need, but then it's just like Indian Raita and this is a Mediterranean classic.
- Half a large Cucumber.
- 250ml of Greek (or good quality Greek Style) Yogurt. Should be thick and creamy.
- 1 tbsp of fine table salt for salting cucumber plus ½ tsp for adding to dish.
- 1 clove of finely grated garlic (optional). Use a microplane if you have one for best results.
- A few twists of freshly ground black pepper. (very optional)
- Juice of half a lemon. (or 2 tsp of bottled) (optional)
- 1 tbsp of good Olive Oil. (optional)
- 1 tsp of dried mint rubbed in your hands to break up. (optional - but don't ever use fresh mint)
Step by Step.
Grate the cucumber with the coarsest side of your grater. Put it all into a large, fine mesh sieve and then sprinkle with the tbsp of fine table salt. Stir a bit with a fork to make sure salt is well distributed. Don't worry, most of it will drain away with the juice. Leave to drain over a bowl for about half an hour. Then, with the back of a large spoon, squeeze the cucumber a little to remove excess juice.
In the meantime, put the grated garlic into a serving bowl (large enough to take all the yogurt and cucumber easily) and sprinkle the remaining salt onto the garlic. Leave for a few minutes to intensify the garlic flavour. Use more or less garlic as you please. Add the pepper, lemon juice and olive oil to the bowl. Mix everything together and leave until needed.
When the cucumber has been drained then add it to the garlic mixture and stir through. Then add the yogurt and combine everything until evenly mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit yourself.
Sprinkle with the dried mint and serve as a dip for pitta bread or crudites or as an accompaniment to kebabs, salad, etc.
Variations.
- Simply adjust the 'optional' ingredients to suit yourself.
- Use finely grated carrot instead of cucumber for a complete change. (no need to salt the carrots)