Cucumber-Yogurt Salad سلطة خيار باللبن

Hot weather requires a cold salad, something I grew up eating, my mother used to make this salad a side dish during the summer heat days. Especially when the main dish consists of rice or anything warm and heavy, a cucumber-yogurt salad was always a very nice option to add.

Also from a nutrients perspective, yogurt is an essential food in our daily diet, the good bacteria in yogurt is critical to keep our guts on track. Eating a bow of cold plain yogurt can be very refreshing and it helps our body to cool off, especially on those hot summer days.

So here is how to make the cucumber-yogurt salad:

All you need is three main ingredients, cucumbers, plain yogurt, and some chopped fresh mint leaves. The mint gives this dish an extra minty flavor. I love to use the Persian cucumbers, they’re smaller and contain a nicer flavor. Though other types can work as well. I prefer to grading the cucumbers rather than chopping, either way, can work fine. But I feel grading gives the dish a nicer texture.

As for the yogurt, any type of plain yogurt works fine. I’ve lately been using the European creamy style which is available some grocergy stores, as the name says it’s creamy and less thick than Greek style for instance. However, if you are using any type that is thicker, it can help to add just about 2 tablespoons of water and stir well to make it more liquidy. Once the yogurt is ready, just simply add the cucumbers and some finely chopped mint leaves with a pinch of salt.

Some, including my mother like to add some fresh crushed garlic to this salad, however, I prefer it without the garlic since the fresh garlic, especially in summer, gives a strong flavor that is hard to get rid of, that’s just my personal preference. It’s optional and definitely can be added.

Here is the cucumber-yogurt salad recipe in details:

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This recipe is enough as a side dish for 2 people.