Sunday 1st of March 2015
My father was a frugal man. We used to joke that moths flew out of Baba’s wallet when he opened it. He never understood why anybody would buy ready-made tzatziki when it was easy to make one that tasted twice as good.
According to him, the secret to good tzatziki is to use thick yoghurt stripped of moisture. So he strained the yoghurt in a white Bonds singlet that he’d specially prepared by sewing the bottom together. After tipping the yoghurt into the damp singlet, he’d hang it in the shower to release the excess water through a slow and steady dripping. I often walked into the shower in the morning to find an elongated singlet, stretched twice its length, with a round ball of yoghurt at its base.
Ingredients
- 1 Bonds singlet, sewn at the bottom or a piece of muslin
- 500g plain Greek-style yoghurt
- 1 telegraph cucumber, peeled seeded
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- salt, to taste
Place yoghurt in the singlet or a sieve lined with muslin over a bowl. Let it drain for 30 minutes.
Grate the cucumber and squeeze out excess moisture. Combine yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt. Cover and let it stand in the fridge overnight.