Authentic Greek Tzatziki Recipe
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That easy Greek yogurt recipe I shared with you a couple of weeks ago lets you make a great breakfast food or snack, but you can also use the Greek yogurt as an ingredient in other recipes. One of my favorites is tzatziki. Tzatziki is a traditional Greek cucumber sauce that is sometimes served as a side dish and generally used as the sauce for souvlaki and gyros. One of its most popular uses (and my personal favorite) is simply as a dip for pita bread.
This is an authentic Greek tzatziki recipe, shared by a Greek friend of mine whose family has passed it down for generations. They know what they're doing, too... this is amazing!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Greek yogurt (see my recipe here)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 cucumbers, seeded and shredded
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
TIP: Make sure to use Greek yogurt (not regular), and make sure it's super thick. If yours is too runny, try draining it for a couple hours through some cheesecloth. The thicker the yogurt, the thicker your final tzatziki will be.
Crush the garlic with a garlic press (or chop it very, very finely). Add to a bowl with yogurt, sour cream, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Stir well to incorporate, and set aside.
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and discard them.
Shred the cucumber with a box grater.
Now you've got to get as much water out of that shredded cucumber as possible, so our dip stays nice and thick. I like to put the grated cucumber into a potato ricer and squeeze over the sink as hard as I can to remove as much liquid as possible.
If you don't have a potato ricer, put the cucumber into a clean towel and squeeze. You want the cucumber to be very, very dry. My Greek friend says this is the most important part of the recipe.
Add the dried cucumber (isn't that a gorgeous green?) to the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
For best results, let the tzatziki sit (covered) in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving, so that the flavors blend.
Serve on toasted pita as a dip at your next party!
3 comments so far:
Yum! I now have got to try this! Sounds way better than the store bought stuff!
Not only simple and easy (thank you) but it will be fresh!!! Can't wait to make my own :oD
Now I am totally craving some!