Tzatziki is a very basic, although very tasty Greek yoghurt dip. The ingredients are very basic, as is the method, so don't worry if you are shopping on a budget, have very few ingredients in your cupboards or are not such a genius in the kitchen. This quick and easy dip is perfect for serving with vegetables, meat, bread or however you like. The recipe consists of garlic, strained yoghurt, cucumber, vinegar, salt and oil. However, if you don't fancy going too overboard with the garlic, you can either add less or leave it out completely. Just like the Bulgarian 'Tarator', Tzatziki can also be enjoyed as a soup too.
To start, you will need:
Plain/Greek yoghurt
cucumber
garlic (optional if you want to include, and so is the amount)
vinegar
salt
oil
Wash and grate the cucumber. Use as much cucumber as you would like. It depends if you want to have a more watered down dip or a thicker dip. Once you have grated the desired amount of cucumber, put the cucumber to one side.
Next, you must strain the yoghurt. The easiest way to do this is by pouring the yoghurt in to a sieve, with a bowl underneath. The water should drain through the sieve and in to the bowl.
Now for the garlic mix. Even if you choose not to add garlic, you must follow this step and remember to leave out the garlic. Prepare the amount of garlic that you wish to add and mash it in a bowl with some vinegar and salt.
Now add the cucumber, strained yoghurt and garlic mix together and mix together well. Once the dip has been mixed together well, add a drizzle of olive oil to the top to serve.
