645. Tzatziki

Where is my dahi?

    Dahi is the hindi/gujarati word for yogurt. When my kids were growing up, yogurt was a part of their meal every single day. Plain yogurt or made into lassi but mostly good old plain home made yogurt . Dollops of the thick creamy goodness was eaten with dals, rice, khichdi and vegetable curry.If anything was slightly chilli for the kids a dollop of yogurt took care of it. While the boys were not too fussed about yogurt or lassi, my daughter on the other hand would throw a tantrum if she didn't have her bowl of yogurt for lunch.She'd cry out "where is my dahi?" if we didn't serve it with her lunch.

   As you may have guessed by now, the #FoodieMonday #Bloghop 92nd theme is yogurt. Preethi our group member requested us to make anything using yogurt. 
   
   Yogurt is known to have many health benefits. 

• Its easier to digest than milk, its rich in calcium, it has high levels of Vitamin B especially Vitamin B12. 
• It has your daily requirement of phosphorus, magnesium and potassium which all are good to regulate blood pressure, good for the bones and metabolism.
• Its high in protein so a good food item to include in your diet especially if you're a vegetarian. 
• Dietitians recommend eating a bowlful of plain yogurt to ward off hunger. The protein in the yogurt makes you feel full and has fewer calories.
• Yogurts contain good bacteria and probiotics which are very good for for the digestive system. Yogurt reduced bloating, helps reduce constipation and a bowlful of yogurt is recommended when one suffers from diarrhea. 
• With all the minerals and calcium and protein present in the yogurt it improves your immune system and also helps to protect one against osteoporsis. 

     It is said that ready made pasteurized yogurt does not contain the beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, strptococcus thermophilus). To know whether your ready made yogurt contains the beneficial bacteria the label should read 'live active culture'.

     Making yogurt at home is very easy. 

     I've tried using ready made yogurt as the starter and have failed. So best to get about 1-2 tbsp of good yogurt from a friendly neighbour or family who make their own yogurt unless you get the live active culture variety yogurt.

     Bring 500ml of milk to a boil. Let it cool down to room temperature. Heat the milk till it is warm(45C).It should be warm like the temperature you can drink. Pour into a glass bowl or container. Add 2 tbsp of yogurt and mix gently.Cover the bowl or container. Place the bowl in a warm place for the milk to ferment. In warm places yogurt sets in about 6-8 hours and in colder places it takes longer. Its best to place the bowl in a warm place like your geyser cupboard, or the oven. Or cover it with a blanket as my aunt used to. 

Colder places may require a bit more starter yogurt about 2-3 tbsp.

     I made Tzatziki pronounced as (zaatzeekee or chacheeki in Greek).What is Tzatziki? Well, its a Greek yogurt sauce or dip. Known as cacik in Turkey and North Cyprus, this sauce is very versatile. Its used to accompany mezze(appetizer). It is also used on grilled meat and as a salad dressing. Tzatziki is so easy to make and its the yummiest and most refreshing sauce/dip I've had. I served it along with some carrot, cucumber and tomatoes as a starter. You can serve it with warm pita wedges, or any other warm bread. We even had some of it with potato chips and it tasted so delicious.

TZATZIKI

Makes 1 cup

1 cup thick yogurt (use Greek yogurt or hung yogurt)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small cucumber (grated about ½ cup)

2 cloves garlic -minced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper powder

To serve, some ideas:

carrot sticks

cucumber sticks

celery sticks

pita wedges or any flat bread 

tomatoes

olives

bell pepper strips

falafel 

1. If the cucumber skin is thin, then you don't need to peel it. Cut it into half and remove the thick seeds if any. Its best to scoop it out using a spoon. 
2. Grate the cucumber.
3. Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt and leave it for 10-15 minutes.
4. Squeeze out the water from the cucumber.
5. Add cucumber, oil, garlic, dill, salt, pepper, lemon juice to the thick yogurt. Mix well and the sauce or dip is ready.

Tips:

• If you are using normal plain yogurt you may need about 2 cups of it. Take a thin cotton cloth (I find using a man's hankerchief the best). Place the cloth over a strainer or sieve. Place the strainer over a bowl to catch the water. Pour the yogurt into the cloth. Cover it up with the cloth. Place a folded newspaper over it. Put some weight like a mortar and pestle or a small brick. This helps to remove the water from the yogurt faster.
• I strained the greek yogurt to remove water.
• You can use fresh mint or parsley instead of dill.

You may want to check out the following yogurt recipes:

roasted eggplant dip

Dahi papdi chaat

banana cucumber raita

yogurt dressing

rasiya muthia

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