So here's another side dish to try, love and then add to your repertoire.
Imagine a side dish that you can knock up in single-digit minutes and that will have a transforming effect on even the simplest of meals. This is the magic wand of side dishes - a mighty side dish - a side dish that has the power to transform the dull into the spectacular. A superhero of side dishes. This is Cacik.
What is cacik?
Cacik (pronounced jajek), is a Turkish dish commonly found in a mezze style spread. It's somewhere in between a Raita and a Tzatziki - think Raita with added garlic or Tzatziki without the lemon. It's thick, creamy yoghurt with cucumber, mint and garlic and it's the garlic that packs the punch and brings a bit of wam bam impact.
This won't be the first time you've heard of this type of side dish for sure, but sometimes we need a little nudge to get it back on our radar - a reminder of how good it is, but also how much lovelier it is when you make it yourself and most importantly how very useful it is to have in your armoury. This is definitely the side dish that I make more than any other. It's the dish that I throw together to unite other dishes and to add a little 'va va voom' to a meal that feels a bit dull.
It's affectionately known as 'Finn's Favourite Sauce' in our house - and quite clearly Finn has great taste.
5 things I've learned about making Cacik
- There's no need to be particularly precise with quantities here - The basic guidelines are chopped up cucumber, yoghurt (the runnier the style that you choose, the more like a dressing it will become), finely grated garlic, freshly chopped mint and some salt. Depending on the proportions, you can tweak it to create the consistency and taste that you prefer.
- This is not one to make too far in advance for two reasons - firstly the cucumber gets watery and makes the salad too runny, but also the raw garlic can become a bit harsh when it's no longer freshly grated. But fear not - a dish that's as quick as this really doesn't need to be prepared ahead of time.
- Swap dill for mint if that's what you have to hand - or leave out the herbs totally. This is free form cooking.
- Serve it chilled.
- A little drizzle of olive oil at the end will give you that cheffy 'I know what I'm doing' look.
And here's why this Cacik will soon be your favourite ... as well as Finn's -
- This side dish can be thrown together at a moment's notice.
- This really is an insanely useful dish - The other night our dinner was some leftover ham from Christmas from the freezer, a little Moroccan Couscous, a green salad and this cacik. It was yum.
- It's a dish that can be many things - a dip for tortilla chips, a dressing, an 'alongside other things' salad or part of a mezze style spread.
- But it can also be ...
- a tasty appetiser with some fresh bread
- perfect on a burger
- lovely with grilled meat or oily fish
- a spectacular mayo substitute in sarnies (especially with some leftover roasted lamb and a few rocket leaves)
- delicious on a crunchy baked potato ...
- a spoonful straight from the bowl is pretty good too ...
Throw this together and be pleased with yourself ...
PrintCacik
Cacik (pronounced jajek) is creamy yoghurt with cucumber, mint and garlic - it's the garlic that packs a punch and brings a bit of wam, bam impact. It's insanely easy and super good.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Fridge
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
- 125g (4 ½ oz) plain yoghurt - I prefer a thicker style such as Greek Yoghurt
- ¼ large cucumber or 1 small Middle Eastern cucumber
- salt to taste - you need to be surprisingly generous
- a handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
- ½ to 1 clove of garlic, depending on how big they are and how garlicky you like it
- a little olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Dice the cucumber and tip it into a mixing bowl. (UPDATE - when I first posted this recipe I used to peel the cucumber. I've since realised that it is lovelier and easier using the cucumber unpeeled).
- Now tip the yoghurt into the bowl and add a little salt, the mint (saving a little to garnish) and a little garlic finely grated garlic (I use a Microplane). Go easy on the garlic at first - you can add more, but you can't take it away.
- Give everything a good stir and taste. You may need to add more salt and/or more garlic.
- When the flavours seem balanced, tip the cacik into a serving dish, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with the reserved mint and serve.
Notes
Cacik doesn't keep terribly well so make a smaller amount if you won't use it all straight away.
Keywords: creamy, dressing, garlic