Haydari meze is a creamy, tangy, flavourful Turkish yogurt dip prepared with thick yogurt, cheese, garlic, and aromatic herbs. A delicious addition to any meal! Worth giving it a shot!
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What is Haydari Meze?
Haydari meze, a tangy, creamy Turkish appetizer is usually prepared with thick yogurt, cheese, garlic, and fresh herbs. Haydari is a staple of Turkish cuisine, and readily available in any restaurant and home in Turkey.
This meze Haydari is a low-calorie, healthy, and delicious cream that goes with about everything! It is a perfect blend of yogurt and cheese with a refreshing flavor of fresh herbs. I am sure your senses will admire its herbal aroma, and you will make it again!
This recipe is so simple that you only need a few ingredients. Combine them. That’s it! Your smooth and creamy Haydari dip is ready in just 5 minutes.
If you want such easy-peasy recipes, check out the all-purpose dip, Indian green dip to serve with snacks, fruit cream dessert to use fresh fruits, and power balls with nuts.
Ingredients
To make Haydari dip, you need the following ingredients.
- Yogurt - Hung yogurt/greek thick yogurt.
- A yogurt of thick, creamy consistency is required to prepare this Turkish dip.
- You can make homemade yogurt thick by hanging it in a muslin for half to one hour to drain its excess moisture.
- Cheese - Feta cheese.
- Cheese should be soft to get the best out of it.
- Feta cheese is salty so add salt carefully to the dip.
- Mint - Dried mint leaves
- If you don't have them handy, microwave a few fresh leaves for a minute and then keep them at room temp for 5 minutes. Crush them with your hands.
- Dill - Use fresh dill leaves for this Turkish meze recipe.
- Butter - Optional. But it gives richness to the dip.
- Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil for low calories.
- Garlic - Fresh cloves of garlic make this dip addictively delicious.
- Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Haydari Meze?
For the full recipe, check out the video below. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay up to date on all my new videos!!
- To prepare Turkish Haydari meze dip, make a hung yogurt by straining it for an hour. If you have store-bought thick creamy yogurt, skip this step.
- Add olive oil and butter to a pan. Fry raw garlic and mint leaves for 2 minutes on low heat.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes. (Image below)
- In a mixing bowl, mash the cheese using a fork.
- Add yogurt, dill, salt, and minty-garlic oil to the cheese. Reserve some oil for later use.
- Mix to combine well. (image below)
- To serve this Haydari, spread it on a plate and drizzle over reserved mint-garlicky oil (image below).
Enjoy this Haydari Turkish as a spread or dip with bread and raw vegetables!!
Variations
- Add chili pepper flakes to imbue heat into the dish.
- For added flavor, use cumin or parsley.
- Garnish with roasted nuts on Haydari for a yummy crunchy addition.
Serve Haydari Meze as
- Dip for bread, crackers, and parathas.
- Spread for bread, sandwiches, wraps, sliders, burgers, etc.,
- Dressing for salads, pasta salad.
- Topping for raw vegetables, baked veggies, grilled meat and fish.
- Marinade for grilled or baked vegetables and meat.
- A side dish to hummus, baba ghanoush, and tzatziki.
- Pair with some drinks like Ayran or Raki.
Storage
- As this Turkish yogurt Haydari is prepared using cheese and yogurt, it may spoil at room temperature, especially in summer, so keep it refrigerated until you use it.
- You can store it for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Tips
- Feta cheese is salty so add salt carefully after checking it.
- Using butter is optional. I like it as it gives this Turkish meze a rich buttery taste.
- To get the best flavor, refrigerate this yoghurt dip for about half to one hour before serving.
- Avoid freezing it.
- Either crumble cheese or crush it to fine. Do whatever suits you.
- Fry garlic and mint on low heat only for 1-2 minutes to prevent them from burning.
- Cool down mint-garlic oil before adding.
- Use fresh ingredients as far as possible to get the best Haydari yoghurt dip.
- Do not skip olive oil, as it boosts the flavor of Haydari.
- Adjust the ingredients to your taste.
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Recipe
Haydari Meze
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Ingredients
- 260 g Yogurt thick (1 cup)
- 50 g Feta cheese (¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
- 2 Garlic cloves
- Mint leaves dried
- Dill fresh
- 1 tablespoon Butter salted (optionsl)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Fry garlic and mint leaves in oil and butter for 1-2 minutes on low heat. Keep it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, crumble feta cheese with a fork.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spare some of the oil to use later on.
- To serve it spread on to a plate and drizzle over the remaining oil.
- Refrigerate for half to one hour before serving.
- Enjoy this Haydari as a dip or spread.
Video
Notes
- Adjust the ingredients to your taste.
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay up to date on all my new videos!!
Nutrition
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Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star✨ rating below!
Katie says
love this haydari meze recipe! It's super flavorful and easy to make!
tianna says
such a great appetizer, love the creaminess
Judith says
The dill and mint give this dip such a refreshing flavour. Love the taste!
Shelby says
I love the creaminess of this dip and the hint of garlic, such a great appetizer!