Mast O Khiar Recipe | Easy Dip Recipes

Persia. The land of the Mughals. And great food. Food that involves huge fanfare almost always on a daily basis. I m a huge Persian food because of the presence of yogurt. Oh. Come on. I ve ranted and raved enough on my fetish for curd rice. So it is only natural that i take to persian food. This month, us, the the groovy gourmets wanted to see how fancy we can get with our dips and spreads.

As i m fond of yogurt and Persian cuisine, i opted to try my hand at this simple yet exotic dip that s eaten alongside flatbreads in Persia. It also works fantastically well with a bowl of biriyani or pilaf. And its a perfect  summer treat. It makes for a great breakfast or even an afternoon snack. For those who are counting the calories, use low fat yogurt.  Lets get started, shall we?

Recipe for Mast O Khiar
( Yogurt dip made with cucumbers, walnuts and dried rose petals)

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Serves 2 generously
Source: Adapted from 101 cookbooks

Ingredients

Thick fresh yogurt 1 cup chilled ( I used Amul set curd)
Cucumber 1 small peeled, deseeded and cubed
Walnuts 2 tbsp toasted and crushed
Craisins or dried cranberries 1 tbsp chopped
Dried rose petals 1 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves 5 to 6 chopped finely
Fresh dill leaves 1 tbsp chopped finely
Garlic 1 clove minced
Salt to taste
Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk the curd well.
To this add the crushed garlic, salt,dill and mint.
Just before serving, strain the cucumber well and add to the yogurt along with the walnuts.
Mix well.
Garnish with rose petals, craisins and a few walnut slivers.Drizzle that olive oil.
There. You are good to go. Easy right?

And yummy to dunk in your breads into.

I served mine with alongside some parathas.