Cacık

Cacık (Turkish Yogurt Dip)

A refreshing Turkish yogurt dip made with cucumber, garlic, mint and a drizzle of spiced olive oil. Traditionally served cold as a meze alongside pide, grilled meats, or as part of a summer spread.

Prep

10 min

Total

10 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (2 cups (about 17 oz)) plain full-fat yogurt, strained sheep's or cow's milk yogurt, traditional in Turkey
• •1 medium cucumber, about 200 g / 7 oz, preferably a thin-skinned Turkish or English cucumber
• •1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil, for the topping
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried mint, pul biber or fresh mint may be substituted in different regions
• •2.5 ml (½ tsp) sweet or mild paprika, pul biber (Aleppo pepper) is most traditional
• •5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •2 to 4 g (½ to 1 tsp) salt, to taste
• •60 ml (¼ cup) cold water, optional, to loosen the dip to a pourable consistency

Steps

1. 1 If your yogurt is loose (Greek-style tub yogurt is usually fine as-is), line a fine sieve with cheesecloth, set it over a bowl, and strain in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until thickened to the consistency of soft cream cheese. Skip this step only if using thick, traditional Turkish yogurt.
2. 2 Wash the cucumber but do not peel it. Grate it on the large holes of a box grater, then toss the gratings with a small pinch of salt in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. 3 Squeeze the grated cucumber firmly in handfuls or wrap in cheesecloth and twist to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid; this is essential so the cacık does not become watery.
4. 4 Peel the garlic and crush to a fine paste with the flat of a knife against a cutting board, or use a microplane. Mixing the paste with a pinch of salt helps it break down smoothly.
5. 5 In a mixing bowl, whisk together the strained yogurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice and salt. Stir in the squeezed cucumber.
6. 6 Loosen with 2 to 4 tablespoons of cold water if you want a more pourable, soup-like cacık (called ayran-style) or leave thick for a spoonable dip.
7. 7 Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes so the garlic mellows and the flavors meld.
8. 8 To serve, spread or spoon the cacık into a shallow bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the top, then sprinkle with dried mint and paprika. Serve cold.