Mast-o Khiar

The story

Mast-o Khiar is a Iranian starter with a clear sense of place. Mast-o khiar is a familiar Persian yoghurt-and-cucumber accompaniment with numerous household variations including herbs, dried fruit, nuts or rose petals. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 600 g thick Greek-style yoghurt
• 350 g cucumberfinely diced
• 1.5 tbsp dried mint
• 20 g fresh dillchopped
• 50 g Raisins
• 50 g Walnutschopped
• 4 g Garlicfinely grated, optional
• 0.75 tsp fine salt
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried rose petalsoptional garnish

Method

1. If the cucumber is very watery, toss

   If the cucumber is very watery, toss it with a pinch of salt and leave in a sieve for 10 minutes, then pat dry.

   Tip: Use thick yoghurt and add cucumber only after removing excess surface moisture. Avoid: Watery cucumber dilutes yoghurt, too much garlic dominates delicate herbs and very long storage softens the vegetables.

2. Stir yoghurt until smooth

   Stir yoghurt until smooth. Add dried mint, dill, salt, pepper and optional garlic and let the herbs hydrate for 5 minutes.

   Look for: smooth

3. Fold in cucumber, raisins and most of

   Fold in cucumber, raisins and most of the walnuts. Taste for salt; the dish should be cooling and gently savoury rather than sweet.

4. Chill 20–30 minutes if time allows, but

   Chill 20–30 minutes if time allows, but not for hours if you want the cucumber to remain crisp.

5. Stir once before serving and correct consistency

   Stir once before serving and correct consistency with a spoonful of cold water only if the yoghurt is exceptionally thick.

6. Spoon into a shallow bowl and garnish

   Spoon into a shallow bowl and garnish with remaining walnuts, mint and optional rose petals.

   Look for: Yoghurt stays thick enough to mound and cucumber pieces remain crisp.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.