Haydari

From Sibel Horada, Burgaz Island, Istanbul, Turkey
As part of Virtual Chef Bites - Open House

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg drained yogurt (plain, non sweetened)
• Dried mint leaves
• Salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Olive oil

Preparation:

The most important part of this recipie is draining the yogurt. To do this, you should use something like a "tulbent", a very fine (almost transparent) wowen cotton fabric. Alternatively, you could use a few layers of cheesecloth. Spread the tulbent on a sieve, put a plate under the sieve and put the yogurt inside it. The setup should wait in the fridge until most of the water is drained out of the yogurt.

Add the mint leaves, salt and red pepper to your taste. Some people add garlic, but don't like it. Also, sometimes about 3 tablespoons of white cheese is added to this recipie. I doubt that you can find the Turkish white cheese in France (which is made with cow milk as opposed to the Greek feta cheese made with goat milk), but if you feel adventurous, you can try feta cheese.

After you mix all the ingredients, run the olive oil above your dish, and enjoy the taste.