Broccoli is one of those vegetables that I would like to eat everyday and I prefer to eat it raw to get the all the nutrients, but to be honest, I don't really like the taste of it. So, the other day, while I was chewing a piece of broccoli reluctantly, it struck me to mix the broccoli with yogurt. The inspiration came from many Iranian side dishes: Borani-esfenaaj, which is yogurt and cooked spinach; Mast-o-khiaar, which is yogurt plus Persian cucumbers and has many variants by itself; Maast-o-moosir, which is yogurt and shallots, and last but not least, Maast-o-laboo, which is yogurt plus cooked beets. Garlic and dried mint is sometimes added to most of the above. And naturally, they would taste better if salt and pepper is added to them.
Savory yogurt-based side dishes/appetizers are very common in Iran. Other than my own dear grandfather, I have not seen anyone in Iran who enjoys sweet yogurt. My grandfather, used to mix different kinds of jams with plain yogurt and eat it as a dessert. I have found that sweet yogurt is an acquired taste for many Iranians!
A general comment about the above appetizers is that, they will all be tastier if made with Greek style yogurt (maast-e-chekideh or labneh in Arabic). If you cannot find Greek style yogurt in grocery shops, it can be easily made at home:
Prepare a clean, white kitchen cloth. Actually, my grandmother had a special white thing very similar to a white pillow case for this purpose, but a big enough cloth would also be fine. If you have a large coffee make filter, that would also be a good alternative. Line a sieve with the cloth and place the sieve over a bowl, such that the sieve does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Pour the plain yogurt in the lined sieve and refrigerate over night.
The recipe is quite simple. The measurements are totally up to you. It depends on how much broccoli you want to have in every spoon. Chop the broccoli finely. I used raw broccoli, but cooked/steamed and strained broccoli will also work. The texture in that case will be more like a dip. Then mix it with plain yogurt and add salt and black pepper to your taste. I also recommend adding garlic or shallots to the yogurt. I also garnished it with a few drops of saffron.
And voilà:
