Ingredients
The base
- 700 gthick strained yoghurt
- full fat
- 3small cucumbers
- Persian or Lebanese
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- white pepper
The aromatics
- 2 tablespoonsdried mint
- 1small onion, very finely chopped
- or 2 spring onions
- 80 gwalnuts, roughly chopped
- 50 graisins or sultanas
To finish
- 1 tablespoondried rose petals
- crumbled
- a drizzle of olive oil
- a little more dried mint
To serve
- cold, with rice and kabab
- or with flatbread
- in summer
Directions
- Strain it yourself if it is loose. Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Persian cucumber skin is thin and tender. Cut the cucumbers into small dice. Aim for pieces about half a centimetre. Dice is exactly the right cut here. Put the diced cucumber in a colander.
- Sprinkle all the salt over it. Toss it so the salt is distributed. Let it drain for about twenty minutes. Salt draws water out of the cucumber. Squeezing it is the next step to take.
- Take handfuls of the drained cucumber. Squeeze them gently over the sink. Squeeze gently rather than crushing them. Patting them dry is worth doing. Spread them out on a clean cloth. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Chop all of the walnuts roughly.
- Leave them fairly coarse rather than fine. Both of them are done in Iran. Taste one of them before using them. Discard the batch if it tastes rancid. Soak the raisins in warm water briefly. Give them about ten full minutes. Drain them before adding them. Chop the onion very finely indeed.
- Chop it as finely as you can manage. Cold water washes off the sharpest juices. Put the thick yoghurt in a bowl. Beat it smooth with a large spoon. Add the drained cucumber to it. Add the dried mint to the bowl.
- Rub it between your fingers as you add it. Adding the rest is straightforward enough. Add the very finely chopped onion. Add the chopped walnuts to the bowl. Add the drained raisins as well.
- Season it with salt and white pepper. Mixing it all takes a light hand. Stir it all together very gently. Fold it together rather than beating it. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it at least one full hour. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed. Add more mint if it tastes flat.
- Taste it before adding any more. Finishing it is done just before serving. Scatter the crumbled rose petals over it. Scatter a little more dried mint as well. Serving it is always done cold. Spoon it out into a shallow bowl. Serve it alongside rice and kabab. It keeps two days refrigerated. Pour off any liquid and stir it before serving.
Technique
- Cucumber releases a great deal of water and turns the dish soupy within an hour, so salt the dice in a colander for twenty minutes, squeeze it gently — not hard enough to pulp it — and pat it dry. The alternative is to mix it only just before serving.
- Dried mint rather than fresh is used, with a deeper and less grassy flavour characteristic of Iranian cooking; rub it between your fingers as you add it, which crushes the leaves finer and releases the aroma.
- Rose is very easy to overdo — a little scattered on top is enough, and too much tastes soapy. Taste a walnut before using them too, since old walnuts go rancid and one bad batch ruins the bowl.
Substitutions
- Spring onions stand in for the finely chopped raw onion and are milder.
- Soak the raisins for ten minutes first, since dry ones draw water out of the yoghurt.
Variations
- The plain version is just yoghurt, cucumber and mint; the walnut and raisin version comes from northern Iran, where the Caspian provinces grow a great many walnuts.
- Some cooks toast the walnuts briefly to deepen the flavour and others use them raw.
- Small Persian cucumbers are used skin and all, being thin-skinned and not watery.
History
Cold summer side served with rice and kabab; the walnut and raisin version comes from northern Iran.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mast-o khiar?
Mast-o khiar is a salad & side from Iran: yoghurt with cucumber, mint, walnuts and dried rose petals. Cold summer side served with rice and kabab; the walnut and raisin version comes from northern Iran.
How long does Mast-o khiar take to make?
Mast-o khiar takes 20 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Mast-o khiar?
Yes, within limits. Spring onions stand in for the finely chopped raw onion and are milder. Soak the raisins for ten minutes first, since dry ones draw water out of the yoghurt.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mast-o khiar?
Take handfuls of the drained cucumber. Squeeze them gently over the sink. Squeeze gently rather than crushing them. Patting them dry is worth doing. Spread them out on a clean cloth. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Chop all of the walnuts roughly.
