I have a personal grouse about yoghurt, it is very difficult for me to find plain, uns
weetened yoghurt. I first encountered yoghurt in the Mediterranean where I learned to eat it plain although lots of people in that area added honey, but I don’t like that, plain is good for me. Nowadays, everything possible is added to it and I just don’t enjoy it. I do use a vanilla yoghurt when I want to make yoghurt cheese (i.e. yoghurt drained in cheesecloth for several days), but normally I want plain. I found one I liked, probiotics and all, made by Danone in their Activia line and then our local grocery store stopped carrying it. Now if I want that particular brand I have to go to another grocery chain to get it which is a nuisance to say the least. I suppose it wasn’t selling well enough. My father’s answer to that was “well give me some of the ones that didn’t sell”. I found a Wikipedia article on yoghurt which said that the Persians believed Abraham’s fecundity and longevity was due to his regular ingestion of yoghurt. It has been described as the food of the gods and has been eaten in India, Russia and the Mediterranean countries for thousands of years. No-one knows how it first came to be made (I believed it was just sour milk for many years) and it can be made with soy milk or sheep’s milk or just about any kind of milk product.The Indians have certainly been eating yoghurt, which they call Raita, for a very long time and it is absolutely delicious served with curries, especially really hot ones.
Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint
Serving: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 600ml plain yogurt
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and coarsely grated
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Put the yogurt in a bowl. Beat lightly with a fork or whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add all the other ingredients and mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Hi Jo .. I love plain Greek yoghurt when I get to buy it .. our brand here is 'Total' seems a strange name to me!
ReplyDeleteI love the Greek version of Raita - Tzatziki .. and used to make a lot of it ..
Your recipe sounds interesting .. cheers Hilary
We have yoghurt most days although Matt eats the vanilla. I love Tzatziki too, I haven't made it in a while though.
DeleteI used to like yogurt - and yes, the flavored kind - but can't do the dairy anymore.
ReplyDeletePity you can't eat milk products, they are so good for you. Unsweetened of course LOL
DeleteCucumber and yogurt just seems like an odd combination.
ReplyDeleteIt's delicious Alex, you should try it, not with sweet yoghurt of course.
DeleteI like yogurt in every kind. My favorite is Yoplait, mainly because they have great flavors.
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
If I am looking for fruit flavours, I prefer to eat the fruit itself. Just my preference though.
DeleteI have the same problem,so frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI loce cukes and mint and yogurt! A favourite in our house.
Isn't it just. So many want sweet yoghurt.
DeleteWe're lucky here in the UK as we can get plain yoghurt so easily and in many forms - low fat, Greek style, goats milk etc. We use it as one of the dips when I make Fajitas and with highly spiced meals as an antidote to the the chilli etc
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of flavoured yoghurts as I prefer to add my own summer fruits, strawberry & raspberry especially when we finally get Summer and Summer fruits in the UK LOL
Me too, much rather add the fruit than buy it already flavoured. What's summer Sue?
DeleteI love yoghurt. In New Zealand we have EasiYo in which you can make your own yoghurt in any flavour you want or plain. Including Bio or Greek etc. It's brilliant and makes a whole litre all at once!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good idea Rowena.
DeleteIt's a nice recipe for yogurt lovers and it similar in part the way the Greeks do Tzatziki, yogurt, mint and cucumber and I believe garlic.
ReplyDeleteYes it is similar, and quite refreshing as well.
DeleteI tried this once, a long time ago and it was DELICIOUS!!! When doctors forbid any milk product I learned to make vegetarian yogur. It's very tasty.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to know how you make vegetarian yoghurt Al.
DeleteI'll translate the recipe for you, Jo. It's done with soy milk. :)
DeleteThanks Al, I can do some Spanish, but a bit rusty these days.
DeleteHold the yogurt and mint; I'll take the cucumbers straight up. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteIn attempt to cater to our sweet tooth, there are all sorts of additives going into our food. Sugar's gonna be the death of us.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. I always remember British cook Jamie Oliver demonstrating how much sugar was in chocolate milk which is being fed to school kid. I forget what it conveyed but he completely filled and covered a school bus with an equivalent amount of sugar. Horrifying.
DeleteI dont like mint outside of my toothpaste or tic tacs. But I use dill in a similar recipe with plain yogurt, salt, pepper and cucumbers. Really good.
ReplyDeleteI love mint, but dill is good too.
DeleteThat looks scrummy!
ReplyDelete