Monday, July 12, 2010

Mast-O-Khiar (Persian Cucumber and Mint with Yogurt) (Serves 8)

















How could I leave this dish that we had served as an accompaniment to biryani during the BBQ cookout we had a couple of months ago?

This is one of my favorite dishes and I always order this when I am at a middle eastern kebab place. I just love the flavor of the mint and the cucumber infused in the yogurt. I added a few additional ingredients as an experiment.

This is an absolutely tasty dish and very soothing for the body, especially during the hot summer months.


It is very similar in preparation to the Indian raita, but a few different ingredients make such a huge difference to the final taste!


3 cups strained yogurt (Greek)
1 garlic clove
1 small bunch Parsley leaves
14 fresh mint leaves
5 small to medium Persian cucumbers
Salt to taste


Skin the cucumbers with a peeler and grate them. Make sure the grater is not very fine. Squeeze and strain off the excess water from the cucumber in a small bowl. Set the grated cucumber aside.


Quickly blend the garlic, parsley leaves, mint leaves along with just enough cucumber juice to help blend the ingredients.


In a large bowl, add the yogurt, grated cucumber, the blended mixture, and salt to taste. Mix everything well until smooth.


Refrigerate and serve cold with pita, bread, as a side dish with rice and gravy, or as is.

Health Rating: High