Cacik (Turkish Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)
Cool, garlicky and endlessly refreshing, cacik is the yogurt and cucumber classic that Turks serve with everything from kebabs to rice. Ready in ten minutes flat.
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Ingredients
500g full-fat Turkish natural yogurt
1 long cucumber, coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
1 tbsp dried mint
A small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to finish
100ml ice-cold water (optional, for a thinner cacik)
1/2 tsp salt
A few ice cubes, to serve on hot days (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Coarsely grate the cucumber, sprinkle with a pinch of the salt, leave for a couple of minutes, then squeeze out the excess water with your hands.
- 2
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with the garlic paste and salt until smooth and creamy.
- 3
Rub the dried mint between your palms into the bowl and stir in the grated cucumber and chopped dill.
- 4
If you prefer a looser, drinkable cacik, whisk in the ice-cold water a splash at a time until you like the consistency.
- 5
Taste and adjust the salt, then chill for at least 15 minutes; cacik must be served properly cold.
- 6
Spoon into bowls, drizzle generously with olive oil and scatter over a little extra dried mint.
- 7
Serve with warm pita bread, grilled meat, rice or stuffed vegetables, adding an ice cube to each bowl in summer.
Every food culture around the eastern Mediterranean has its yogurt and cucumber dish, but cacik is Turkey's own take, fragrant with dried mint and cold enough to make you shiver on a hot day. It lives a double life: made thick, it is a meze and a side dish; loosened with cold water and an ice cube or two, it becomes almost a chilled soup that gets drunk straight from the bowl in the summer months.
The choice of yogurt matters more than anything else. You want a proper full-fat Turkish natural yogurt with real tang, not a mild set yogurt. Grate the cucumber coarsely and, if you have a spare minute, squeeze out some of its water with your hands so the cacik does not turn watery as it sits.
Dried mint is the signature herb here, dill is the classic supporting act, and a final drizzle of olive oil over the top is non-negotiable. All the store-cupboard essentials, from the yogurt to the dried mint, are the kind of staples Turkish Online Market delivers across the UK, so a proper cacik is never more than ten minutes away.
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