Tzatziki has developed a bad reputation due to being mass produced with vegetable oils, suspicious chemical thickners and more, in every supermarket from Dubbo to Dublin. The good news is that ‘real’ tzatziki is one of the easiest things to make and it is utterly delicious.
In our family, tzatziki is one of the staples that must be on the table at very family gathering. You cannot have lamb on the spit, without a huge bowl of tzatziki to go with it. The master tzatziki maker in our family is my lovely sister in law, Joanne. She has perfected the recipe given to her by her mother in law, Mrs Androulakis, who bought the recipe to Australia from her kitchen in Chania, Crete.
To make the perfect tzatziki, the yoghurt must be full fat and Greek. Sheep’s milk is preferable but cow’s milk yoghurts are also fine. Joanne advises that you must strain your yoghurt to make it even thicker and creamier. Ideally, you should be able to stand a spoon up in it. Don’t bother making tzatziki if you are not up for straining your yoghurt, otherwise you’ll end up with a rather unsatisfying watery mess. However, if you are lucky enough to live in Greece, you can skip the straining step by buying one of the pre-strained yoghurts, such as ‘Face Total’ or “Dodoni”.
The cucumber in your tzatziki can be grated or peeled. I prefer grating. It must also be strained. Otherwise, the water leeches from the cucumber and will cause all of your lovely strained yoghurt to seperate. When it comes to the garlic in your tzatziki, this really comes down to personal taste. While tzatziki is known to be “cooling” it can also be made in a “hot” style with the addition of garlic. In the garlic loving Ionian islands, we have enjoyed tzatziki that uses 1 head of garlic to 1 kilo of yoghurt. That certainly stimulates the appetite. However much garlic you choose to use, Joanne advises allowing the flavours in your dish to mellow for a few hours in the fridge, preferably overnight, rather than eating it immediately.
The quantity in the recipe below makes one very large, Greek family party sized bowl. If you are going to strain your yoghurt I recommend making the large size – it provides good fodder for fridge forages in the days after your party, slathered liberally on toasted pita bread.
Mrs Androulakis' Tzatziki
Τζατζικι
Ingredients
- 2kg Good quality Greek yoghurt
- 5 cloves Garlic crushed
- 5 Lebanese cucumbers peeled, de-seeded and grated
- 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tbsp Greek white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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Drain the yoghurt in a sieve lined with muslin cloth for at least 24-48 hours to remove all of the excess liquid.
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Place the grated cucumber, tossed in a little salt, in a seperate piece of muslin or a clean tea towel. Gently wring out the excess liquid from the cucumbers.
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Place the yoghurt in a clean bowl and fold through all of the remaining ingredients, adding salt to suit your taste.
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Cover the tzatziki with cling film and place in the refrigerator until required. It is good to make a few hours ahead of when it will be used so that the garlic aroma and taste has time to settle in the yoghurt.
Recipe Notes
Note: In Australia, Joanne recommends using "Yalna" Greek style yoghurt. Baba, on the other hand suggests using "Black Swan" Greek style yoghurt. I like using Meredith Dairy Sheep Milk Yoghurt or Dodoni.
