The best Traditional Greek Tzatiki
Recipe by (@andriaorganichomecooking)
Opa! It's time to get back to my roots! That's right, my Greek heritage has some of the best cuisine and this tzatiki (garlic yogurt dip) is something that comes from generations. I've added a little twist to make it my own but the base of this recipe comes from my mother and her mother before her!
Tzatiki is one of those versatile dips that you can use as a dip or cook with and add into other recipes! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! You can see how it's made on my YouTube cooking channel: Cooking with Andria
INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups of 2% or higher greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber
1 tsp chopped dill
1 tbs of garlic pureed (approx 2-3 clove of garlic)
2 tbs of olive oil
1 tsp of white vinegar
1/2 tsp of salt
pinch of pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
The best part of making this recipe is you can use ready made greek yogurt, which has alreay been strained of the water. My mother used to strain her yogurt overnight to make her own 'greek yogurt'. Pro-tip: Use a higher fat greek yogurt and avoid fat free, the fat free releases too much water and you won't get the same flavour in your tzatiki. The higher fat contet will stay creamer and absorbe all the flavours from the garlic. cucumber and dill.
Add 2 cups of greek yogurt into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth with a spatula. Add in pureed garlic, 2 tbs of olive oil, season with salt and pepper (to taste) add in 1 tsp of white vinegar and mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge (ideally overnight) but 1-2 hours if you are in a rush. The longer it rests the more time you allow the garlic to rest. Raw garlic is very sharp and can overpower the rest of the ingredients in the tzatiki, letting the raw garlic rest in the yogurt overnight lets the yogurt absorb the flavouring the garlic evenly so it isn't so sharp.
Next shred the cucumber and drain the water. Simliarly you can add to a strainer and drain over night in the fridge or you can strain in a cheese cloth if you are making this the same day.
Chop the dill and set aside.
To complete the tzatiki, remove the yogurt mixture from the fridge, add in the strained cucumber and mix well until combined. Add in the chopped dill and mix. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with an olive and some dill. Serve cold with pita chips or your favorite dish.
You can keep stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Pro tip: I save the greek yogurt container for storage since it has the expiry date on the package!
Enjoy!
