Masto Khiar in 3 Steps

This blogpost is the fifth installment of the Chef Table's series.

To read about Chef Massimo Bottura's episode click on Butter Chicken's recipe.

To read about Chef Barber's episode click on Som Tum's recipe.

To read about Chef Francis Mallmann's episode click on T-Bone Steaks' recipe.
To read about Chef Niki Nakayama's episode click on Shahi Tukray's recipe.
To read about Chef Ben Shewry's episode click on Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas recipe.

Episode 6: Magnus Nillson - Faviken in Jarpen, Sweden

Ranked 25th in the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, 2015

Chef Magnus Nillson, after spending a few years in Paris, returned to his hometown to discover his own culinary identity. In Paris, he felt that he was making someone else's recipes, and his dishes were not a true representative of his identity. About his hometown he said, "It's exactly the same place, it's just that I see it differently." Sometimes it takes some time to embrace our own cultural identity.

Chef Nillson employs ancient Nordic techniques in his cooking, with his own modern twist. He believes, the only way we can keep traditions alive if we adapt. I have talked about this evolution in the Bihari Kabab recipe. My grandmother used to incorporate the same ingredients with a mortar and pestle, whereas I recreate her recipe with the use of a Vitamix. 

Nillson points out that food and cooking provide a connection between our heritage and our present. If we stop cooking at home from scratch, we will lose in touch with our family heirlooms. Pre-packaged foods are convenient, but their abundance is not only bad for our health and environment, but they are also diminishing the connection we have with our ancestral family recipes.

Speaking of traditions, here I present to you a Persian yogurt and cucumber dip, called Masto Khiar. In my case, the Persian recipes are a true amalgamation of my heritage and local ingredients that are easily available here. In California we are blessed with delicious dairy, fresh cucumbers and walnuts. You can garnish the dip with dried rose petals, which alludes to the beautiful and aromatic flavors, present in this exotic, yet simple, yogurt dip.

You can serve this dip as an appetizer with bread.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
3 cups of full fat plain yogurt (using Trader Joe's French Village Yogurt)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dried mint
4 Persian cucumbers (peeled and diced)
1/4 cup of chopped green onions
1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons of chopped oregano leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup of chopped golden raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of dried rose petals for garnish

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine sea salt, garlic powder, ground pepper, and dried mint.

Step 2: Add diced cucumbers, chopped green onions, mint leaves, dill, oregano, thyme, raisins, and walnut.

Step 3: Garnish with dried rose petals. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Note: This recipe is adapted from Njamieh Batmanglij's cookbook called 'Food of Life'.