Mast-o-Khiar (Persian Cucumber Mint Yogurt)

Brent and I flew to and from Germany for vacation last month on Turkish Air via Istanbul. Although the flights were long, they were mostly comfortable and the flight attendants served us plenty of food. I don’t expect airplane food to be tasty, but all three meals on each flight were surprisingly good! One item in particular, the Mast-o-Khiar, caught our attention. I do not typically tolerate dairy well; but the yogurt smelled so fresh, I had to try it. (Guess what—I didn’t have a poor reaction!)

Then, this past weekend, I encountered the slightly sweet cucumber and mint yogurt again while I was with my mother having lunch after my second wedding dress fitting. This time it was a little more soup-like, but the flavor was fantastic. It was just as light, cool, and refreshing as the Mast-o-Khiar on our flight. Our waitress kindly told me the key ingredients, and I knew then that I wanted to recreate it dairy-free at home.

This is great as a snack or light dessert, but even better when it’s served with spiced meats. We have a yummy pairing coming soon (here it is!), so stay tuned! Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post to see a sneak peek.

Ingredients
fat from top half of two cans of coconut milk (approx. 2 C)
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 large cucumber, peeled, diced, and seeded
1-2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced
1 tsp salt

Method

Mix everything well in a medium bowl.

Chill for 2 hours before serving. If it gets too firm, simply let it sit out to warm up a little.

Sneak peek! Check back again soon for our kabob recipe Here is our Persian Kabob Recipe that pairs well with Mast-o-Khiar.

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