Marhaba! Summer is coming to an end, but the long hot days are here to stay at least for a few more weeks. While in some places around the globe it’s starting to get cooler, in the Arab world the summer days are still long, humid (رطب), and dry (جاف)! As I have mentioned before, I do not mind the hot summer days if I am able to cool down at the beach or up in the mountains (جبل). Today I am sharing a very easy and fast recipe for an excellent and tasty side dish called Yogurt Cucumber Dip (خيار ولبن).
Image by Paul Martin
This is ideal for any meal of the day. You can serve it with barbecue or at other large gatherings of family and friends. Yogurt is one of many ingredients that can be used in dishes and beverages for fighting the heat on a hot summer day! This a pretty simple recipe and it takes about 10 minutes to prepare. All the ingredients are readily available almost anywhere in the world. This recipe makes four servings so feel free to adjust accordingly, if you are having a large party!
Ingredients:
– 4 medium cucumbers (خيار)
– 400 grams (14.29 oz) of yogurt (لبن) (we use organic European style, which tends to be a bit sour rather than sweet)
– 2 teaspoons dried mint (النعناع المجفف)
– 2.5 to 3 garlic cloves (فصوص من الثوم) (depending on your love for garlic)
– Salt (الملح) to taste
Image by j bizzie
Directions:
– Dice and chop the cucumbers into small pieces and then add them to a large bowl
– Add the yogurt, dried mint, minced garlic an salt to the bowl.
– Mix all the ingredients together until you they’re all blended and become a dip
A few additional tips and recommendations. Obviously, this great, fast, and easy side dish should be served cold. So if you are good on time, prepare the dish and leave it in the fridge (الثلاجة) for a couple of hours before your guests arrive. If you are in a rush, make sure to add around 3 or 4 ice cubes (مكعبات الثلج) to the bowl as you mix the ingredients to ensure the dish is served as cold as possible. Also, my wife and I sometimes add a teaspoon of dried thyme (الزعتر المجفف) to the mix, which makes it even tastier with chips, pita bread, or any other form of bread (خبز) that you like. Make sure to decorate the dish with a few fresh mint leaves (أوراق النعناع) and/or larger slices of cucumber.
Image by kanenas.net
Stay tuned for upcoming posts.
Have a nice day!
نهاركم سعيد
