Mast-o-Khiar

Mast-o-Khiar

In Persian: ماست و خیار, literally “yogurt and cucumber.” In Hebrew it is written “מאסט-או-חיאר” and also appears as “מאסט-או-כיאר” or “מאסט חיאר”. This is the most constant item on a Persian table — it appears at almost every meal, alongside almost every dish, regardless of the season.

The idea is basic and familiar: yogurt, cucumber, dried mint. But the Persian version differs from its cousins in two additions that change it completely — chopped walnuts and raisins. They add texture, sweetness and a slight bitterness, and turn a dip into a side dish with something to bite into. In festive versions, dried rose petals are also scattered on top.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Chilling time: 30 minutes · Total: about 45 minutes · Yield: 4 small bowls · Difficulty: very easy

The same dish, four countries, four names

Yogurt with cucumber and garlic is perhaps the most widespread dish in the region between the Balkans and Persia, and at every stop it has taken on its own name and character: cacık in Turkey — runny, almost a soup, and served in a bowl with a spoon; tzatziki in Greece — thick, based on strained yogurt, and used as a dip; tarator in Bulgaria — served very cold, sometimes with walnuts; and mast-o-khiar in Iran — thick, with walnuts and raisins, and sometimes with no garlic at all.

The Persian addition of walnuts and raisins is not a local whim but a pattern that recurs throughout Persian cuisine: a clear preference for combining sweet and sour in the same dish. The same principle lies behind fesenjan with its pomegranate molasses, behind the barberries in tahchin, and behind the dried lemon in ghormeh sabzi.

Ingredients (for 4 small bowls)

• 500 grams thick yogurt (5% or Greek)
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 40 grams coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 crushed garlic clove — optional, and absent in many versions
• Salt, black pepper
• Chopped dill or edible dried rose petals for garnish

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Thick plain yogurt from the supermarket works; fat percentage alone does not indicate thickness. If the yogurt is thin, strain it in the refrigerator until you have 500 grams. For garnish you can use dill. If you choose rose petals, buy only petals sold as food in a spice shop, not flowers from a florist.

Method

1. Prepare the cucumber. Cut into small cubes. Unlike Turkish cacık, here the preference is for cubes rather than grating — the texture is part of the dish.
2. Salt and squeeze. Salt the cubes and leave them in a sieve for 10 minutes, then squeeze. Cucumber is about 95% water, and without this step the dish will release liquid into the bowl within an hour.
3. Soak the raisins. Soak in hot water for 10 minutes and dry. A dry raisin that goes into yogurt will draw liquid into itself.
4. Mix. Whisk the yogurt with the salt, pepper, mint and garlic (if using), and fold in the cucumber, walnuts and raisins. Keep a few walnuts for sprinkling on top.
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes. The dish must be cold.
6. Serve in a small bowl, topped with walnuts, mint and rose petals.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The recommended serving is a small bowl of about 150 grams, a quarter of the recipe.

The comparison with Turkish cacık shows what the two additions do: cacık is about 120 calories per small bowl, and mast-o-khiar about 220. About half of the difference comes from the walnuts and raisins, and the rest from the yogurt — the Persian version is based on thicker, richer yogurt. In return, the dish gains plant omega-3, magnesium, more protein and texture.

What makes the dish worthwhile is the context in which it is eaten: it is almost always served alongside a fatty dish heavy on white rice, like chelo kabab or abgoosht. 12 grams of protein and 160 mg of calcium in 220 calories change the balance of the whole meal, which is why it appears on every table.

Variations and tips

• Lower-calorie version: 3% yogurt and no raisins — about 150 calories per small bowl, without giving up the walnuts and their omega-3.
• Abgoosht version: thin with water to the consistency of a sauce and serve alongside the hot dish, as is customary in eateries.
• Lactose-free: fermentation breaks down a considerable part of the lactose in yogurt, so most sensitive people manage fine with it. Alternatively, a calcium-fortified soy-based yogurt.
• Making ahead: keeps in the refrigerator up to two days, but the walnuts soften. Fold them in only just before serving.

Summary

Mast-o-khiar is the Persian take on an idea the whole region shares, and the addition of walnuts and raisins turns it from a dip into a small dish in its own right. About 220 calories per small bowl with 12 grams of protein and about 16% of the daily calcium — the smartest addition to a meal of meat and rice. The Turkish version, lighter and runnier, is cacık. More recipes in Persian cuisine.