Tzatziki Sauce

I first heard about this dip from George Calombaris during his Masterclass in Season 3. I was so hooked to this recipe or rather the name of the recipe. It had a cute ring to it and I was jotting down the ingredients list as usual on the daily newspaper. As time went by, I forgot the date on which the recipe was jotted down and  the paper heap found its way to the local newspaper-wala. Though the paper was lost, never did I forget the recipe. I did not have exact measurements but then I was confident to go with my intention. So one day, as George said I grated the cucumber, sprinkled a dash of salt and dumped it in the fridge to leave its water. And there it sat for the rest of its life... I forgot the whole episode and after 2days when I was cleaning the fridge, I found it hidden behind the preserved vegetables. Left with no other option, I had to dump it into the dustbin and with that went in the tzatziki recipe. I didn't want to waste another cucumber.

After months or rather say an year, the dip started popping around my head from time to time and so thought of giving it a go. This is not George's recipe but has been heavily adapted from here. The original recipe called for dill leaves but I replaced it with mint leaves. The dip was perfect to have with our Sunday Biryani.
P.S: I will be trying George's recipe soon... its still registered in my mind.

~*What U Need*~ Makes - 1 cup Greek yogurt / Hung curd - 1 cup Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Garlic clove - 1 Cucumber - 1, deseeded and diced Mint leaves - 1 handful Salt - to season Black pepper - to season

How I Made it:
Strain plain yogurt in a cheesecloth overnight. Peel cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Discard seeds. Slice cucumbers, put in a colander, sprinkle some salt, and let stand for 30 minutes. This step is to draw out the water from the cucumber. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.
Blend together garlic, lemon juice, mint and cucumbers. Season with pepper powder. Give a few whizzes until fully blended. Whisk yogurt till smooth.

Stir the cucumber mixture into the yogurt. Season with salt as needed. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving so that the flavors can blend in.

Serve with pita breads or biryanis or pulao varieties.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!