ARABIAN CACIK (ARABIAN TZATZIKI)

(Recipe in English is below. Arap cacigi tarifi için burayi tiklayin)

Here in Istanbul, there is a kebab restaurant that we visit every now and then. There they serve this meze which they call “Arap cacığı” (Arabian Cacik) - something we like! I am not sure anymore how they prepared it but this did not stop me from trying their Arabian cacik at home! So I am not sure what they call Arabian cacik is the same as mine, but who cares? I can assure you that what I made at home had this mild taste that was really good and accompanied the vegetable dish that I made very well! I think you can serve this cacik next to anything!  

The restaurant serves their cacik with tiny bulgur balls that are fried. I had some bulgur balls in my deepfreeze from the other day that I made some bulgur balls in sour sauce (click here for the recipe). I had put them already boiled, so the only thing I did with them was to defreeze them in the microwave. If you don’t have any bulgur balls available at hand, you can try to serve this yoghurt meze with meatballs or so as well. Or just omit the bulgur balls! I think it will still be very tasty!

Ingredients (makes 1 small plate of mezze)

1 courgette, in small cubes

I cubed the courgette

3 – 4 spoons of strained yoghurt (or greek yoghurt)

Coriander / cilantro, as much as you like, chopped fine (I added as much as seen in the picture but I really love coriander and cannot get enough of it! But if you do not want the strong taste of coriander dominating every other taste so much, then I suggest you to add much less than the amount as in the picture!)

coriander

As many bulgur balls as to spread over the meze plate (10 - 12 of them if they are as big as mine) For the recipe of bulgur balls you can click here

1 – 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt

Method:

1. Steam-cook the courgette cubes for about 10 – 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool down.
2. Distill the strained yoghurt with water to your taste. Add the crushed garlic, the coriander and the salt and mix.
3. When the courgette cubes cooled down a bit, mix them into the yoghurt mixture.
4. Garnish with the bulgur balls and serve.

Step 1 - I steam-cooked the courgette in cubes

Arabian cacik

Arabian cacik

 

GREEN CACIK (GREEN TZATZIKI / CACIK WITH GREEN HERBS)

(Recipe in English is below. Otlu cacik tarifi için burayi tiklayin)

I love trying new recipes! I also love to change the common recipes in order to make them richer in taste! 

This is your ordinary cacik (or tzatziki) recipe going extra tasty and healthy with the herbs you add to it! Add as much as you like! 

Try and tell me!

Ingredients: (Serves 3 – 4 people)

4 – 5 strained yoghurt (or greek yoghurt)

1 – 2 cucumber, cut into small cubes (or rasped if you are not too lazy :p)

cucumbers, in small cubes

A handful of dill leaves

A handful of coriander/ cilantro leaves

A handful of purslane leaves

dill, coriander and purslane - that's what makes your cacik so green!

2 fresh garlic, chopped in small rings (you can omit it if you don’t have it)

mmm, fresh garlic!!!

1 – 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Water to dillute the yoghurt

Salt

1 spoon of extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Dillute the strained yoghurt with the water. You decide how thick you want your cacik to be!
2. Except for the olive oil, add the rest of the ingredients into the yoghurt and mix.
3. Pour the olive oil over the mixture and serve.

 

green cacik