The ingredients are correct in this recipe but it is missing a step that would solve the runniness problem. You must drain the yogurt in a colander for a few hours. This is the way they do it the Greek restaurants. You should also salt and drain the cucumbers for an hour. I tried this recipe and drained the yogurt first and it was great!
Good, but PLEASE NOTE: yogurt will break down if it is stirred with too much force--especially using a food processor! This is why some people had runny results even after draining the yogurt overnight. Instead, chop everything else up separately and gently fold it into the yogurt with a spatula.
This is some pretty tasty sauce! So good in fact that I spent the rest of the evening scouring my pantry and fridge for things to dip into it! Very garlicky so it's a bit hot...but I love garlic so that's OK with me. I incorporated several of the tips that I found from reading other reviews: drained the fat-free yogurt in cheese cloth over a bowl in the fride overnight shredded the cukes then salted them and let them drain all day...I even patted them a bit with a paper towel to absorb some more moisture and I mixed everything together very gently and let sit in the fridge to develop it's flavor. WELL worth the effort! This sauce was BETTER than many I've had out! Thanks so much Dinah! Now I have a way to satisy my craving for Greek food!
Instead of using regular yogurt, substitute Greek Yogurt (my supermarket sells "Total"). This yogurt is much thicker than regular yogurt and therefore does not need to be drained. Also, you don't really need a food processor.
On the runniness issue: tip from my mom--finely dice the cucumbers, put in a strainer add a little salt, stir. Let sit for as long as you can take it to drain water. Blot with a paper towel to remove more water. Add into recipe as directed. Enjoy!
We enjoyed this recipe but I used sour cream instead of yogurt. alot of resaurants in Montreal use it and we find the taste is better. Thanks
To be truly superb, tzatziki MUST be made with strained, whole mild yogurt from Greece, otherwise the result will be runny as many users have noted. Also lemon juice is preferable to vinegar. But the one non-negotiable item is the strained, full fat yogurt.
Here's what you need to know for a fantastic Ziki sauce. Use ONLY authentic Greek yougart. Strain will be needed. Or, if you don't like the overwhelming taste of Greek yogurt, and I don't personally, use 98% Sour Cream and 2% Greek Yogurt. DO NOT FEAR THE GARLIC FOLKS! GO AS CRAZY AS YOU LIKE WITH IT!. Personally, I use 3 1/2 to 4 large Elephant Garlic bulbs minced finely for that incredible, spicy garlicky kick! DO NOT put yogurt in blender. Stir / fold yogurt only by hand. Place shredded and SEEDED cucumbers in a sprinkling of sea salt in a strainer for 3 hours then place in thick paper towels & wring cucumbers out hard by hand. Add two LARGE spoon fulls of Sour Cream or Greek yogurt. (depending on which way you want the premise of this Ziki recipe to taste) It adds either a WONDERFUL creamy taste or a FULL authentic Greek taste. Use one tsp. dried dill per one tlb. fresh (if nothing fresh on hand) but use 4 tbls fresh dill if AT ALL possible. Be careful of adding too much salt to taste in this mix. With the salt you've already added to help drain the cucumbers and the salty taste of the lemon juice, it might over power your sauce. Cracked pepper to taste. Let sauce chill for at least 2 hours. The taste will increase exponentially with time. Make a double batch as this sauce goes great with many dishes. Especially chicken and fish. This is a 5* recipe!
This is a good Recipe: HELPFUL HINTS: Drain your full fat yogurt in a cheesecloth for a couple hours. Also, salt your cucumber and then squeeze out excess water after 20 min or so. The flavor of this recipe is great. I think these things will make its watery consistancy even better:)
