This traditional Greek tzatziki dip is a classic! Just thinking about it transports me back to the holidays we had in the Greek islands.
Tzatziki is very refreshing and this version is full of cucumber.
Tzatziki dip is a natural accompaniment to Greek dishes like gyros and souvlaki.
I like to use it instead of mayonnaise in salads & sandwiches or on these veggie pancakes. You can also eat it as a dip on a grazing platter.
I love Greece, traditional tzatziki and Greek cuisine as whole, but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t adapt anything, ha! I’ve added more vegetables to the standard recipe to create my own take on classic Greek tzatziki.
This recipe makes enough for 2 to 3 people, but if you want more you can easily double or triple the ingredients. It keeps very well in the fridge, so when you have leftovers you can eat it again the following day. I even recommend you make this a day early, as the flavours will improve overnight.
Don’t worry if you can’t find tzatziki herbs; I have included a recipe within this recipe, so you can easily make your own.
Enjoy!
Tzatziki
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- bowl
- Grater
- Spoon
- Measuring spoons
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 small or ½ big Cucumber
- 100-200 ML Quark or very thick (coconut) yoghurt (It is very important that is thick!)
- 1 TBspn Tzatziki herbs (Read below to find the recipe for this)
- 1 big pinch Salt (Coarse sea salt or a smoked salt if you have it)
- 1 TBspn Fresh chives (Optional)
- 1 TBspn Fresh Parsley (Optional)
- 2 TBspn Olive oil (Extra virgin)
Instructions
- If you cannot find tzatziki herbs, make your own by simply combining: – 1 Tspn dried dill, – 1 Tspn dried parsley, – ½ Tspn garlic powder, – ½ Tspn dried onion powder/granules and – ⅛ Tspn white pepper powder
- Grate your cucumber on the coarse side. If you wish you can peel the cucumber first, but you really don't need to.
- Put the coarsely grated cucumber into a sieve and place it over a bowl to catch the juice. The juice makes a really refreshing and lovely drink all on its own or mixed with apple juice.
- Next squeeze the grated cucumber by hand until the juice stops coming out. This may take a while, so take your time with this. It is an important step as it will determine how thick or runny your tzatziki will turn out. Instead of using your hands you could use a clean cloth and squeeze out the juice that way. But a good amount of the juice will be absorbed by the cloth, so I prefer to do it with my hands as it results in more juice which I can drink later.
- When you are happy with the "dryness" of the grated cucumber, pour the juice into a glass and add the cucumber into a bowl.
- Add 1 TBspn of the tzatziki herbs, a very big pinch of salt and enough of the thick (coconut)yoghurt or quark to get your desired consistency. The amount of yoghurt you use depends on the amount and the 'dryness' of your cucumber. It also depends on your own preference if you like more or less cucumber in your Tzatziki. Play around with this
- You can now add in the chopped fresh chives and parsely if you like. This is optional, but it adds to the nutritional value and the flavour.
- Put the finished tzatziki into a containre or bowl and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and it's ready to use.Enjoy!
