The White Weekend Continues

Dips

There was just enough dip left for a picture!

It's still snowing in London and more parties that I was meant to go to have been cancelled, so here I am with another food post today. I'm just putting up the recipes for two very simple dips from mom that I suspect are tzatziki inspired. Only approximate amounts - this is all down to your own personal tastes.



Ingredients:

• 400.00 g of natural yoghurt
• 25.00 g of fresh cucumber
• 1.00 teaspoon of powdered cumin
• 1.00 fresh chilli
• Mint leaves, a small handful
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, to taste

Method (for the cucumber raita)

• Strain the yoghurt to remove any excess water
• If you're not sophisticated enough to have muslin in your kitchen, place a clean sheet of kitchen towel over a sieve in a bowl and let the yoghurt strain for half an hour - see my makeshift solution below
• Set aside half of the yoghurt for the other dip
• Toast some powdered cumin in a frying pan without oil for 2 minutes, being careful not to let it burn
• Peel and grate the cucumber, and squeeze all of the water out of it using your hands
• Combine the yoghurt, toasted cumin, black pepper, salt and sugar then mix thoroughly

I actually didn't even have a sieve,
 so I used my housemate's  grater!

All the ingredients ready to be mixed

Method (for the chilli mint dip)

• Chop up the chilli and mint leaves, and then grind them down to a paste using a mortar and pestle
• Combine with the remaining yoghurt, salt and sugar and mix thoroughly
• Serve both these dips with nachos, kebabs, etc.

The mint leaves will turn this dip
a nice green colour