Growing up Mediterranean food wasn’t something that I was exposed to, I still remember the very first time I tried stuffed vine leaves (one of my first experiences of eating Mediterranean food), it was at my Turkish friend’s 16th birthday party and her mum had hand made an array of delightful dishes. I can’t remember if Tzatziki Sauce was on the menu or not but I do remember the stuffed vine leaves. Because I never had the opportunity to taste food like that before it wasn’t something I took a liking to immediately, burgers and chips would’ve gone down extremely well on the other hand, lol! I’m not sure if I remember the stuffed vine leaves for the right reasons though (ie. because they were tasty) or because I didn’t like them, but little did I know that in my later years I would become a big fan of Turkish/Mediterranean food and this Tzatziki sauce.

I like the fact that Turkish cuisine uses simple ingredients, unlike our Indian cooking which uses every spice under the sun and then some! This Tzatziki Sauce is no different; Greek yogurt is strained and has minced cucumber, garlic and lemon juice added to it to create a simple but very delicious sauce/dip which goes well with grilled meats or kebabs and is perfect for summer. It also makes a lovely vegetarian accompaniment for breads/naan for just dipping in during hot spells. My children surprisingly love this, perhaps because we eat Turkish food very often and their palates have become accustomed to the subtle flavours for which I’m very grateful as it’s such an easy but tasty side dish to make.

When creating this recipe make sure you use Greek yogurt, this has a creamier texture than ordinary natural yogurt and makes for a creamier Tzatziki Sauce. I like to use fresh lemons for making this recipe as they aren’t as acidic as concentrate but use whatever you have to hand. I don’t normally add any herbs to this recipe but there are variations that do use mint, parsley and dill, add them should you want a different twist on the original recipe. This recipe can be prepared in advance, make it the night before you’re entertaining, the longer you leave this to sit the better the flavours will meld together. I even think this would taste fantastic alongside a good biryani or curry……think Raita and Indian food, I mean this is virtually a Raita isn’t it? Lol! Whatever you think of it as, I just hope you give this Mediterranean delight a whirl!

Serves 4 – 6

You will need: for Tzatziki Sauce

2/3 of a tub of Greek yogurt
1 cucumber
1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Method:

Start by straining 2/3 of a tub of Greek yogurt by placing a durable kitchen towel over a sieve and place over a jug or bowl. The longer you leave this, the more liquid will be strained and will make for a thick creamy Tzatziki instead of a thin watery one. I left my Greek yogurt for about 4 hours, some people will leave this to strain in the fridge overnight, do that if you have the patience for it!

Before peeling the cucumber cut 3 round slices, this will be used for garnishing later.

Next peel the entire cucumber and using a spoon remove the inner seeds. The inside is removed because the inner part contains a lot of water which will ruin the creamy consistency of the sauce. Cut into smaller pieces.

Place the cucumber pieces in a food processor or mini chopper and process until fine. Place the processed cucumber in another sieve, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and leave to stand; the salt will draw out most of the water from the cucumber.

Leave both the cucumber and Greek yogurt to strain for as long as possible and only begin to put the Tzatziki sauce together when you can see no more liquid dripping from the sieves.

Juice 1 lemon, removing any seeds in the process. Crush 2 cloves of garlic using the side of a large knife (this releases the fragrance/taste of garlic) and then finely chop.

When you can see very little to no liquid dripping from the Greek yogurt and cucumber, you can begin to assemble the sauce.

Place the Greek yogurt, cucumber and 2 cloves of garlic in a bowl, add the juice of the lemon and mix thoroughly. I don’t normally add any additional salt as I find it is seasoned enough for me, add more salt if you feel you need it. If you would like to make this more interesting, add some chopped dill, parsley or mint.

Place your slices of cucumber reserved from earlier on top and chill for 30 minutes before serving (cover with clingfilm if you place this in the fridge).

This is the perfect accompaniment to Afelia’s Lamb Kebabs or with some fresh baked bread…..put on a Mediterranean spread and give my Hummus recipe a try too while you’re in the cooking mood!

Bon Appetit!

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