Levantine cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Khiyar bi Laban

Diced cucumber in thick stirred yogurt with garlic and dried mint, served chilled.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 cucumbers
• 500 g yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp dried mint
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, scrape out the watery seeds with a spoon and cut the flesh into 1 cm cubes.
2. Mix the cubes with 1/2 tsp salt and drain in a sieve for 10 min. so the yogurt does not turn watery later.
3. Crush the garlic with the remaining salt in a mortar into a fine paste.
4. Stir the yogurt with the garlic paste and the pepper until smooth and evenly creamy.
5. Fold in the drained cucumber cubes and the dried mint, rubbed between your fingers, and chill for at least 20 min.
6. Before serving, spread onto a flat dish, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a little mint.