Life in Turkey doesn’t happen without yoghurt. And this haydari recipe might just be THE Turkish yoghurt dip.
A minty, herby, yoghurty Turkish dip, it’s just a staple of Turkish cuisine.
Haydari – Top Of The Pops
Whenever you go to a Turkish restaurant where display fridges tempt you with numerous plates that are part of a Turkish meze selection, you can guarantee haydari will be there.
And if you’re with somebody Turkish, you can almost guarantee that haydari dip will be one of the first – if not the first – plates to be chosen.
Everything else follows.
We learned this right from the first time we ever came to stay in Fethiye and Turkish friends took us to Cin Bal barbecue restaurant in Kayaköy.
That visit – and each subsequent visit – started with haydari.
And then followed the rest of the choices. Like shepherd’s salad or other famous Turkish salads, acılı ezme, aubergine salad and chilli yoghurt. The last one is these days usurped by another chilli yoghurty favourite of ours, atom meze.
And for our own life in Fethiye, we’ve very much adopted a Turkish food lifestyle.
So that means it’s a rarity that there isn’t a big tub of süzme yoghurt from the Çalış Sunday market in the fridge.
We dollop it onto the side of most dishes, we mix it into meals, and we also whip up quick meze dishes with it.
Quick & Easy
And as far as haydari is concerned, as well as being quick and easy to make, it’s just such a versatile dip.
Use it as one of your summer meze choices for your barbecued meat dishes. It’s perfect with kuzu pirzola (lamb chops), lamb or chicken shish kebab and a great cooler for a spicy Adana Kebab.
Add it to your homemade falafel wraps.
Or if you’re home, having a TV night, enjoy it as a delicious dip with some warm pita bread, homemade Turkish balloon bread or other Turkish flatbread.
Added Haydari Ingredient
We used to wonder why, when we went to friends’ houses for meals or to certain kebab restaurants, the yoghurt meze dishes often tasted slightly different to the ones we made at home. More rich and smooth with a creamy texture.
We mentioned this to a friend who also happens to be a great cook.
“A little bit of mayonnaise,” she said.
And she was right.
As well as fresh herbs (fresh dill), dried herbs (dried mint), lemon juice, fresh garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of seasoning (a pinch of salt), just a suggestion of mayonnaise is the perfect addition to your haydari.
How To Make Haydari – Minty Turkish Yoghurt Dip
Our haydari recipe is based on the small plates we’ve enjoyed over our many years here in Fethiye. But with that extra tip from a friend.
Lots of online haydari recipes call for the addition of beyaz peynir (the Turkish white cheese similar to feta). But that is not our personal experience of this delicious dip.
Whilst traditional haydari recipes may or may not include white cheese, we’re also mindful of the fact that a small amount of mayonnaise is not a traditional ingredient. But it gives us the flavour and creamy consistency we are looking for.
Haydari Recipe – Classic Turkish Yoghurt Dip
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 small bowl (for mixing your haydari)
- 1 grater (for your garlic clove)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons thick natural yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic (peeled & finely grated or crushed)
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill (roughly chopped)
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
- ½ lemon (juice of)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt (to season)
Instructions
- Add your yoghurt, mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice and half of your olive oil to a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Now add your fresh dill and half of your dried mint to the yoghurt mixture and stir it in.
- When you are ready to serve your haydaril, spoon it onto a small plate and spread it out before topping with the rest of your mint and olive oil.
Notes
- As with all of our recipes, the nutritional values for our haydari recipe are meant as a rough guide and are calculated by a 3rd party API.
- If you have any special dietary requirements, please do your own due diligence.
- Don’t worry about following exact quantities for your haydari. This is a yoghurt dip that can be very much made to personal taste. Some people don’t like to add garlic or lemon juice, for example. We love both and the lemon juice adds a lovely zesty flavour.
- If you want to make a big batch of haydari, it will last 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. However, as it is so quick and easy to make, we recommend you make it fresh so that you get the fresh flavours.
- Whilst dried mint is an essential ingredient, if you don’t like dill, you can leave this out or substitute it with finely chopped fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Afiyet Olsun!
Turkey's For Life
Sunday 23rd of February 2014
Yoghurt as a savoury, not a sweet, is so good. Good as a sweet, too, of course. :)
Rambling Tart
Saturday 22nd of February 2014
Oh gosh these look good! :-) My friend gave me yogurt starter recently and I can't wait to make my own. I will love using some of it for these dishes. :-)
budget jan
Saturday 22nd of February 2014
So easy. Can't wait to wow someone when I produce these two!
Turkey's For Life
Sunday 23rd of February 2014
Let us know what you think if you do make any of the meze dishes. :)
Connie
Friday 21st of February 2014
Mmmm... This looks delicious, I can personally vouch for your haydari and hummus! and this chilli one is right up our street too. Still using those fab earthenware pots wish I still had mine, love them. x
Turkey's For Life
Sunday 23rd of February 2014
We have a collection of the earthenware pots. Love them - free when you buy yoghurt, interestingly enough. :)
Ozlem's Turkish Table
Friday 21st of February 2014
Delicious! Yoghurt works so well in mezzes, isn't it, love it with its refreshing taste - and the heat from pul biber :)
Turkey's For Life
Sunday 23rd of February 2014
We never knew how ridiculously versatile yoghurt is till we came to Turkey. :)