Za'atar yogurt with sumac
Herby, tangy and green-flecked. The cooling spoon for anything off the grill.
At a Glance
Story
Za'atar is two things at once, a wild herb related to thyme, oregano and hyssop, and the Levantine blend built around it with toasted sesame, salt and a good hit of sumac. Sumac is the part that surprises people, the dried ground berry of a shrub that brings a sour, almost lemony red tang, which is why this spoons up tasting bright rather than just herby. It is the eastern Mediterranean's answer to a cooling herb sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp za'atarplus more to finish
- ½ tsp sumacplus a pinch to finish
- 1 clove garlicgrated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
Method
A five-minute cooling sauce that tastes like far more effort. It brightens anything hot and charred, and it is on the table before the grill has cooled.
- Stir the yogurt, za'atar, sumac, grated garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt together in a bowl until the herbs are evenly through it.
- Let it sit a couple of minutes so the dried za'atar softens and its oils wake up in the yogurt, this is the difference between raw and rounded.
- Spread it on a plate or spoon it into a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil and finish with a last pinch of za'atar and sumac for looks. Serve under grilled chicken or lamb, alongside roast vegetables, or as a dip with warm flatbread. It keeps two or three days.
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