Mast-o-khiar
Mast-o-khiar is the Persian salad that sits on the Iranian table beside everything: rice, grilled meat, stews. At its simplest it is thick yoghurt with finely diced cucumber, dried mint and salt, but the festive version adds walnuts, raisins and rose petals, making it cooling, crunchy and faintly sweet all at once. Unlike Greek tzatziki it has no garlic and does have dried fruit and nuts. It is best after an hour in the fridge, once the mint has given up its aroma.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Preparation 20 min
- Chilling 60 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneDice the cucumbers
Wash the cucumbers and cut them into small dice, about 5 mm. Peel them if the skin is thick or bitter.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Diced, not grated — the cucumber should crunch.Drain the cucumbers
Toss the cucumber with half the salt, leave 10 minutes, then pour off the water it releases. That keeps the yoghurt from going watery.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Soak the raisins
Cover the raisins with warm water for 10 minutes and drain so they are soft.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Chop the walnuts
Chop the walnuts coarsely — they should be noticeable in every mouthful.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Walnuts, raisins and mint — the festive version.Mix with the yoghurt
In a bowl combine the yoghurt with the cucumber, walnuts, raisins, chopped dill and spring onion.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Fold gently so the yoghurt does not thin.Season with mint
Crush the mint between your fingers and stir it in with the rest of the salt and the pepper. Dried mint makes more sense here than fresh — stronger and it does not darken.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Chill
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour for the flavours to come together.
Ingredients: 600 g thick natural yoghurt (Greek style) · 400 g cucumbers · 60 g walnuts · 40 g raisins · 2 tsp dried mint · ¼ bunch dill · 2 pcs spring onions · 1 tsp salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Serve
Taste and adjust the salt before serving. Scatter with rose petals — Middle Eastern shops and tea shops sell them — and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with bread, rice or grilled meat.
Ingredients: 1 tsp dried rose petals (optional) · 1 tbsp olive oil
Before you start
Thicker yoghurt
If you only have thin yoghurt, drain it for 2 hours in a muslin-lined sieve. It loses about a third of its volume but the texture will be right.
As a cold soup
In summer Iranians thin yoghurt and cucumber with cold water and ice into abdugh khiar. Add about 100 ml of cold water per serving, drop in a few ice cubes and serve at once.
Storage
It keeps 2 days in the fridge, but the cucumber keeps releasing water — pour it off and stir before serving.
