As we were making our Greek Charcuterie board to go with our Naan bread, we realized we needed a tzatziki sauce for an even better meal. This is not something that most people keep in their refrigerator, but the ingredients are pretty common so we thought we would try a new experiment.
Why Make Your Own Tzatziki Sauce
We have gotten tzatziki from the grocery store a few times, but there are mixed opinions about the proportions of ingredients. I like a lot of cucumber, which is surprising as it is green, while my sister likes a bit more lemon. The best thing about making homemade tzatziki is that you can change the recipe to what you like the most.
Plus, it is the perfect addition to a Greek Charcuterie board as it adds a creamy and tangy sauce to the mix. We also use it for Gyros, which is another way to eat our Naan bread. (For you kids out there who don’t know what that is, it refers to the traditional sandwich served in Greece.) We realize that Naan bread is more of an Indian food than the traditional Greek pita, but they work here too!
How Kids Make Tzatziki Sauce
After choosing a recipe, we decided to cut the proportions in half. This goes so well with homemade Naan bread, but since we eat that so quickly, we usually have plenty of tzatziki sauce left over. This is very good with a lot of different recipes, but we figured it was so easy to make that we could whip up another batch if we ran out too quickly.
The only real work for this recipe is to prepare the cucumbers, or comcubers as we called them when we were little. Mom will never let us forget this, and she still calls them that today.
We started by cutting it down the middle and scooped out the inside seeds.
Here you have a choice. You can either grate the cucumber or you can cut it into tiny pieces. Since we like a bit of a crunch to ours, we went with cutting.
We were unfamiliar with draining cucumbers, but it was very easy. We put them in the colander, added some salt, and waited for a bit.
The recipe called for 1 cup of Greek yogurt. But since we have been making our own yogurt, we decided to use that instead. We were worried that it might be a bit thin, though there is a process of straining yogurt to make it Greek, which might be our next experiment.
But since our Naan bread was almost ready, we decided to use 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup yogurt. Why not play with the ingredients? This did turn out a bit thin compared to the store-bought version, but it was just the right amount of cucumber and tanginess that we prefer.
Making our Greek Charcuterie Board
This dinner was so much fun to make! We always think that charcuterie boards are the best dinner, as they allow picky eaters to choose what they want.
Plus, it is fun to make an artistic presentation. Mom was super excited for this dinner!
How Kids Can Make Tzatziki Sauce
The perfect addition to your Greek Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 1/2 Large English Cucumber
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Minced
Instructions
- Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Grate or cut the remaining cucumber into small pieces and put in a strainer.
- Add salt to cucumber and mix it in. Let it stand for 15 minutes over a bowl or sink to drain. Squeeze to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Combine drained cucumber with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix to combine, and taste, add additional salt, lemon juice, or dill if desired.