Borani Laboo: Persian beet and yogurt dip

Ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 1 US cup peeled plain cooked beets, finely grated or mashed (chilled, unsweetened, not pickled beets in vinegar)
• 2 1/2 US cups plain unsweetened whole-milk yogurt made from pasteurized milk
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to start, adjusted only after tasting the yogurt and beets
• Fresh flatbread or raw vegetable slices for serving, optional

Method

1. Read the label on a purchased package of cooked beets: use unseasoned unsweetened refrigerated beets, not a jar of heavily pickled beets or sweetened syrup beets. If starting with raw beets instead, rinse them thoroughly and simmer whole in clean water until a knife passes easily through the center; cool enough to peel, then refrigerate before mixing.
2. Grate the cooked beets on the coarse-to-medium side of a clean grater or mash with a fork. If the grated beets release a puddle of water, let them drain briefly in a strainer rather than dumping the liquid into the yogurt; do not squeeze them bone-dry.
3. Stir the cold plain yogurt until smooth in a mixing bowl. Add the grated cooked beets a few spoonfuls at a time, then the finely grated garlic and a quarter teaspoon salt. Fold rather than vigorously whisking if you want some recognizable beet strands.
4. Taste with a clean spoon and adjust salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
5. Serve chilled with bread or raw vegetable dippers. Stir if the cooked beets release additional juice before serving, and return unused portions promptly to the refrigerator rather than treating this dairy dip as shelf-stable.