Havuçlu Tarator
Easy Turkish Carrot Dip
Havuçlu Tarator is pure mezze magic!
It's a super creamy and fresh yogurt carrot dip with a delicious chunky texture. Havuçlu Tarator is a perfect sharing dish, so serve it on a mezze table and dip bread and veggies in. And it comes together in no time!
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It's a super creamy and fresh yogurt carrot dip with a delicious chunky texture. Havuçlu Tarator is a perfect sharing dish, so serve it on a mezze table and dip bread and veggies in. And it comes together in no time!
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Why We Love It?
- Sharing Dish: It's a great mezze dish; share it with family & friends, wether it’s a sunny summer or a gloomy winter's day.
- Quick and Easy: This carrot dip is virtually foolproof and comes together in a matter of minutes, requiring minimum effort in the kitchen.
- Everyday Ingredients: The beauty of this dish is that you probably already have all the ingredients lying around in your kitchen.
- Budget Friendly: It's a party dish for no money!
- Fresh & Healthy: And... it's vegetarian 🌱
What is Havuçlu Tarator?
Ingredients
Havuçlu Tarator
left to right top to bottom - check 'Recipe' below for quantity info
- Garlic: Freshly crushed garlic is quite important for the flavor of this dish.
- Lime juice: The original recipe calls for lemon juice, but we use lime juice to make it extra crisp and vibrant.
- Walnuts: Walnuts are a classic. A small handful, roughly chopped, adds some extra crunch and nutty flavor to the dish. Reserve some for the topping.
- Carrots: Choose really fresh and firm ones, preferably large carrots, they’re much easier to peal and grate.
- Olive oil: We prefer a mild and fruity extra virgin one.
- Yogurt: For this Turkish dish we prefer Greek over Turkish yogurt because it’s usually firmer and creamier!
- Kosher Salt
How to make Havuçlu Tarator
Grate & Chop
Start by peeling and grating the carrots with a box grater. Grate them on medium holes, because this way the carrots are the right size. This is important for the texture of the dish, just make sure they’re not too small or too thin. Then peal, crush and finely chop the garlic, the finer, the better.
Sauté
Heat a splash of olive oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the carrots and garlic. Briefly sauté while stirring regularly for about 5 minutes, until they slightly soften. But take care not to overcook them! This step enhances the natural sweetness of the carrots and adds a subtle depth of flavor while the garlic keeps its integrity.
Cool & Combine
Add the carrot mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool down. Then, add yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, chopped walnuts and salt to the cooled carrots. But don’t be skimpy on the salt, because the tangy flavors of the yogurt and lime easily overpowers the salt.
Stir
Finally give it a thorough stir, until everything is nicely combined & enjoy your delicious Havuçlu Tarator!
Serving Tips & Pairings
- Topping: Top Havuçlu Tarator off with roughly chopped walnuts and pistachios, fresh basil and mint leaves and some Aleppo chili flakes.
- Bread & Veggies: Throw in some warm pita bread or bread sticks, raw and crisp vegetables like cucumber, kohlrabi and cauliflower and voilà, easy-peasy!
- Mezze: Serve it as a stand-alone appetizer, or pair it with other small dishes like hummus, baba ganoush, Scampis Diaboliques, grilled vegetables, like our Espárragos, and a simple tomato or avocado salad. This creates a real mezze sharing dish experience.
- Fish & Meat: The tangy flavor makes it a delicious side dish for more fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sea bream as wel as for barbecued and grilled food.
- Spread: Use Havuçlu Tarator as healthy topping for wraps, sandwiches and burgers.
- Drinks:
- Serve it with mint lemonade or kefir. Both tangy and slightly fizzy drinks complement the creamy and savory elements of Havuçlu Tarator perfectly.
- A dry rosé or white wine like Pinot Grigio provides a nice balance with the creamy and slightly sweet flavors of the dip.
Substitutions & Variations
- Garlic: You can add some extra raw garlic for a bit more punch, but make sure it doesn’t overpower the rest of the flavors. If you don’t have fresh garlic at hand, feel free to use garlic powder, but be careful not to overdo it as it tends to grow in taste.
- Lime: The original recipe uses lemon, but we prefer lime. So, feel free to use freshly squeezed lemon or any type of fresh citrus, they all complement carrots and yogurt wonderfully.
- Carrots: Try out a variation with sweet potatoes or beetroot instead of carrots! Sweet potatoes are in many ways similar but without that earthy taste that carrots sometimes have. One thing to keep in mind is that sweet potatoes are more fragile than carrots and will rapidly loose their crispness, so don’t overcook them. Beetroot, however, requires a bit longer cooking, as they are tougher than carrots. You’ll be amazed, not only by how delicious it is but also how incredibly good it looks.
- Nuts & Seeds: Omitting nuts won’t compromise the dish. However, if you enjoy a bit of crunch, consider seeds like pumpkin or sunflower as alternatives. Preferably roasted, it brings out the natural nutty flavors in the seeds. Another great alternative would be dry roasted coriander seeds, they’re not only super crunchy but also give the dish a nutty almost exotic and smoky taste.
- Vegan: For vegan Havuçlu Tarator, use plant based yogurt. Just make sure it’s thick and creamy.
FAQs
The way to pronounce this Turkish word is ‘ha-vootch-loo tah-rah-tor’, with the stress on ‘vootch’ and ‘tah’.
No, Havuçlu Tarator is typically served as a cold dish. It’s meant to be enjoyed as a refreshing and flavorful appetizer or side dish, especially during warm weather or as part of a chilled mezze table.
Store your make-ahead dish or leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Just give it a quick stir and add the garnish right before serving to maintain its freshness and crunchiness. We don’t recommend freezing it, as yogurt doesn’t freeze well.
Recipe
Havuçlu Tarator
Ingredients
- 500 g large and fresh carrots - about 5 large pieces
- 1 clove garlic - large clove
- 1 handful walnuts
- 500 g Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 5 tbsp mild extra virgin olive oil - 3 for cooking - 2 for serving
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Start by peeling and grating the carrots with a box grater. Grate them on medium holes, because this way the carrots are the right size. This is important for the texture of the dish, just make sure they’re not too small or too thin. Then peal, crush and finely chop the garlic, the finer, the better.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the carrots and garlic. Briefly sauté while stirring regularly for about 5 minutes, until they slightly soften. But take care not to overcook them! This step enhances the natural sweetness of the carrots and adds a subtle depth of flavor while the garlic keeps its integrity.
- Add the carrot mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool down. Then, add yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, chopped walnuts and salt to the cooled carrots. But don’t be skimpy on the salt, because the tangy flavors of the yogurt and lime easily overpowers the salt.
- Finally give it a thorough stir, until everything is nicely combined & enjoy your delicious Havuçlu Tarator!
Notes
- Garlic: Freshly crushed garlic is quite important for the flavor of this dish.
- Lime juice: The original recipe calls for lemon juice, but we use lime juice to make it extra crisp and vibrant.
- Walnuts: Walnuts are a classic. A small handful, roughly chopped, adds some extra crunch and nutty flavor to the dish. Reserve some for the topping.
- Carrots: Choose really fresh and firm ones, preferably large carrots, they’re much easier to peal and grate.
- Olive oil: We prefer a mild and fruity extra virgin one.
- Yogurt: For this Turkish dish we prefer Greek over Turkish yogurt... It’s usually firmer and creamier!
- Kosher salt
Nutrition
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