Tzatziki Dip Recipe

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
480ml strained home-made yogurt
6tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2tbsp fresh chives, chopped
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Peel the cucumbers, cut them lengthwise and remove the seeds. Grate using a cheese grater. Put the grated cucumbers in a sieve/strainer; add a pinch of salt, mix and let drain for 20 minutes. Squeeze with your hands to remove the remaining juice and transfer into a bigger bowl. Add the strained yogurt and all the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Tzatziki can be served straight away but is much tastier when refrigerated for several hours or overnight, allowing the flavours to blend. Feel free to use fresh dill, basil, parsley, mint or scallions instead of chives. Drizzle with a little more olive oil just before serving and decorate with a few more fresh herbs. Tzatziki will keep in the fridge for 2–3 days.

Recipe courtesy of The Gut Health Cookbook by Dunja Gulin, photography by Toby Scott. Ryland Peters & Small.

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