Cucumbers and yogurt are a classic combination— there's Greek Tzatziki, South Asian Raita and this one based on Iranian Mast-o-khiar. Traditionally this recipe contains raisins and walnuts. I have omitted them here because I wanted the recipe to be really cucumber forward but feel free to add them.
Ingredients:
4 Persian cucumbers or one English cuke
11/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 teaspoons dried rose petals, ground
Salt to taste
Using the large holes of a box grater grate the cucumbers. You can peel them if you want, I usually don't, but definitely trim the ends. Place the grated cucumber in a colander, toss it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and let it drain. After about 5 minutes, squeeze the cucumber with clean hands to remove as much extra moisture as possible. This step is really important otherwise your dish will be watery in the end.
Chop the herbs and peel the garlic while you wait
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber and yogurt. Using a microplane grate the garlic in and mix everything. Mix in the dill, mint, and ground rose petals and season with salt to taste.
Before serving pour a little olive oil on top and garnish with rose petals and mint.