Dips and sauces
Kefir cucumber dip with dill or mint
Cool cucumber, dill, garlic, and thick strained kefir make a dip that stays refreshing even beside hot flatbread or grilled food.
Make it
Method
- Toss the cucumber with the salt in a colander. Leave it for 15 minutes.
- Wrap the cucumber in a clean towel and squeeze firmly. Aim for about 150 g after squeezing; if you have a little less, use it as it is rather than adding the liquid back.
See how to squeeze the cucumber At 2:39–2:59, Akis Petretzikis wraps the cucumber in a clean towel and wrings out the liquid that would thin the sauce. The English-language video makes a Greek-yogurt version; for this kefir recipe, keep the quantities above and aim for about 150 g after squeezing.
Open the original video on YouTube - Stir the kefir cheese, garlic, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and black pepper until even.
- Fold in the squeezed cucumber. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before tasting.
Why squeeze the cucumber?
Cucumber carries enough water to loosen thick kefir. Squeezing it first keeps the dip spoonable; use a clean cloth and weigh the cucumber after draining. The kefir should already hold a soft mound before you mix in the vegetables.
Store it
Keep covered at 4°C or colder and use within 3 days, or sooner if the kefir reaches its own use-by limit.
Dill, mint or a smaller batch?
Replace up to half the dill with fresh mint. Strained full-fat yogurt works as a non-kefir variation, but its flavor will be different.
A smaller cucumber-mint dip
For one small batch, use 150 g strained kefir, 80 g grated cucumber weighed after squeezing, 1 tablespoon chopped mint, 1 small grated garlic clove and up to ¼ teaspoon salt. These replace the full ingredient list above: there is no added dill, lemon or oil. Stir together, refrigerate for 15 minutes and taste before adding all the salt. Keep the same cold-storage rules.
What if liquid collects in the bowl?
Stir first: a little separation can happen as the dip stands. If it remains too loose, spoon off excess liquid and serve it as it is. Next time, squeeze the cucumber more firmly and start with thicker kefir; adding dry starch will not repair this cold dip.