23 April 2010

Raitziki?

I am so excited to share this yogurt salad recipe with you!  Think of a cross between an Indian raita and a Greek tzatziki...maybe a raitziki?  This one is just so creamy, so flavorful, and best of all, so good for you!  Instead of the Greek yogurt normally used for these kinds of salads, I use non-fat plain yogurt, which I drain in a fine mesh sieve (one of my favorite utensils).  The yogurt then gets mixed with julienned cucumber, spices, and fresh mint.  It has a super thick and creamy consistency minus any fat, and since it packs a lot of protein and calcium, this is one salad you can feel okay getting addicted to!  (A couple spoonfuls, and I think you'll be hooked like I am.)  I love it spooned over a lamb gyro, but works great too as just a dip for crackers or veggies.

A trick I use for julienning cucumbers is to first slice the cucumber into thin rounds, then take a stack of sliced rounds and slide them into a layered row.  Finally, cut the rounds into matchstick-sized pieces by cutting perpendicularly along the row.  It makes chopping the cucumbers pretty quick work, and it's a lot safer than cutting the cucumber rounds while they're all stacked on top of each other (as I once used to do).
The recipe is really straightforward (drain yogurt, slice cucumbers, mix, and chill), but you will want to budget some time in for draining the yogurt and letting the mixed salad chill so the flavors can develop.  It's a great make-ahead dish.  In fact, I made a batch today and am planning on serving it at a picnic tomorrow along with some other fun salads.  Check back over the next few days for more delicious Mediterranean salad recipes!

Mediterranean Yogurt Salad
Makes ~2 cups

2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup julienned cucumber
3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. superfine sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. mint, finely chopped

Place yogurt in a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth.  Let drain for one hour, refrigerated.  Mix all ingredients together and chill for one hour to overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

2 comments:

Lazaro Cooks said...

Wonderful informative post. Great tips and a tasty recipe. Thank you for sharing. Cheers!

erica said...

Thanks Lazaro! :)

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