Have you ever bought a food product which tasted good but you had no idea what to do with it? It happens to me regularly, but usually involves exotic, foreign food. Strangely, I have recently had similar experience with goat yogurt. I like goat cheese a lot, so I did like goat yogurt too, but somehow couldn’t place it in any food category (and definitely not in the same as cow milk yogurt), not to mention a dish where I could use it.
The other day I felt like making a Cucumber and Radish Salad but unfortunately – or rather luckily – I ran out of standard yogurt and sour cream I usually add. Substituting it with goat yogurt, I actually discovered a much more interesting version of this refreshing salad. I have also added some chopped dill harvested from my balcony and couldn’t believe my taste buds! I have no words to describe how terrific proved the mixture of refreshing cucumber, subtle dill scent, slight radish spiciness and subtle goat yogurt flavour.
UPDATE: I have just discovered that goat yogurt is amazingly good served with Hungarian Chicken with Paprika (Paprikàs Csirke), instead of the usual sour cream.
Here are some other cucumber salad ideas you might like (I have just realised there is the same bowl in all the photos… I guess I liked it a lot last year!):
Cucumber and Seaweed Salad
Cucumber and Chervil Salad
Radish Cucumber and Sour Cream/Yogurt Salad
TIPS: This salad should be made just before serving, otherwise the vegetables will render liquid and the “sauce” will get watery.
Just like my older yogurt/sour cream version, this salad a perfect side-dish or starter in both Western and Asian meals. I can very well see it served with hot and spicy Indian food.
Dill is one of the herbs which freeze very well and taste much better preserved this way rather than dried. You just have to chop it finely before freezing and make sure it is thoroughly dried.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Ingredients (serves one):
6-7 big red radishes
1/3 long cucumber
3 heaped tablespoons goat yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
(salt)
Cut the cucumber in four pieces lengthwise, and then into thin slices.
Cut the radishes in two pieces lengthwise, then into thin slices.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (taste if you need salt; I didn’t need any) and serve.
Unfortunately, only the yogurt appeals to my finicky veggie hating palate … the presentation is elegant however.
Thank you, A_Boleyn. I think I would die if cucumbers suddenly disappeared from the earth… I also like radish but cucumber is on my plate every other day. You are a living proof that vegetables are not necessary to live
Looks delicious Sissi! I love that you used fresh snipped herbs from your balcony! What a lovely flavor combination and beautiful photograph!
Thank you so much, Tessa. I have only herbs and salad leaves on my balcony (not much space) but I profit from them as much as I can…
I really want to try this! So similar to tzatziki I make/buy all the time, but made with goat yogurt which I may not have eaten but have seen at the local supermarket. Have just added it to my Friday shopping list! Normally I have more of a tendency to add mint or parsley to this, but shall try it with dill
! Thank you!
Thank you, Eha. You know, when I see a cucumber and think “herb”, dill is what comes first to my mind. As a child I have never had any other herb with cucumber… If you like goat cheese, I’m sure you will like goat yogurt. It’s a nice change from the cow milk yogurt, though personally I couldn’t use it in desserts just like I do with “standard” yogurt.
Oh yes, all the Estonian cucumber dishes were made with dill also: but remember I moved away from Europe decades ago, and altho’ I was able to travel the world , Asia became my ‘stomping ground’ and, would you believe, for many years I did not use dill at all! I do now
! I cook a lot of Middle Eastern food, hence the mint and coriander etc. Goats cheese was not my favourite until I began eating and comparing it it in S France: then it became a great favourite 
!
You know, I didn’t use dill and other staple products of my childhood for a long long time too… but several years ago I started craving them and/or rediscovering them and use more and more often (so now when I see cucumber, I see dill!). Dill is such an amazing, elegant herb… I never saw it this way, but as a basic herb it was when I was a child.
Interesting and fresh salad, Sissi! I love yoghurt based salads
Thanks a lot, Giulia. This one is really special thanks to goat yogurt. I love cucumber, so I will be buying now goat yogurt much more often.
I have to try goat yogurt! I have a funny palette when it comes to goat cheese – sometimes it puts me right off but I don’t know why. Nutritionally it’s a power house without the difficulty typically associated with digesting cow’s milk protein. It’s more the taste I’m not into in cheese form so I have to try it in yogurt form — so curious! Cucumber salad is one of my favorites but I’m so addicted to vinegar that I rarely stray
– this will be a good ‘venture out of your comfort zone’ recipe for me 
. Hope you had a lovely long-weekend Sissi!
Hi, Kelly. It’s funny because from my experience goat cheese is women’s favourite among other cheese varieties
I’m not sure if you would like this yogurt… It does have the characteristic goat cheese smell… Unfortunately, it was raining, windy, cloudy all weekend… it’s soooo cold! We still have the heating on. Probably the coldest May in my whole life.
“Have you ever bought a food product which tasted good but you had no idea what to do with it? ”
Never had that problem, if something tastes good I usually eat it. I know eating it is uncreative and boring:) I need to think outside the box:)
I never realised goats make yogurt, this is the first time I am hearing about it. I have yet to see it in the supermarket. I need to keep my eyes open. Does it have the strong goatty smell that cheese has?
Haha! Of course, if I buy good cheese or good sausage, I never wonder what to do with it! This yogurt was very puzzling though: I am used to cow yogurt and goat yogurt cannot be treated in the same way. It does have a “goaty” smell but it’s not as strong as in cheese (slightly weaker than in fresh goat cheese). It somehow called for a specific use, not just being eaten with a spoon (and of course even less included into deserts!). It was good but not eaten alone. It was a bit like buying a new spice which seems unsuitable for most dishes you have in mind.
I think you should look in the “organic” section of supermarkets. I have never checked in “standard” yogurts section, but organic version (also in standard supermarkets) has been sold here for many years. I think organic shops have been selling it for many years because many people cannot have cow proteins, so goat and ewe milk (and also yogurts) are a good solution. I suppose it must have always existed on farms making goat milk because yogurt is not that complicated to prepare. Maybe it is not sold in countries where there are no goats… Now I’m wondering how good goat butter would taste!! I have never seen it but it could be excellent.
What an incredible discovery, I’ve always said necessity is the mother of invention Sissi. My dear Mother used to salt her cucumber rather liberally and leave it for an hour or so to allow the salt to draw out the liquid and then she would squeeze out the liquid like a sponge. Then she rinsed off the salt. I’ve done it one occasion but I find it still too salty (although I AM a salt lover, I don’t eat so much salt in my diet and can get overwhelmed quite easily). I love that you also added the radish, such a lovely bite! The dill, cucumber and sour cream are quite a common combo for Hungarians (they really love dill), but I really adore the radish. Is the goat yogurt thick or thinner than normal cow? or even Greek yogurt? I find Greek sometimes too thick in some dips and need to thin it out (but it’s certainly more convenient and quicker than making yogurt cheese to thicken it up).
I am the same as you, I will often buy something I have no idea what to do with and then try to Google some recipes for it. I have Goji berries in my pantry…still waiting on the right recipe.
I love that you held back some of the radishes so they are without sauce, so pretty! I’ve done this trick before too, but I usually have to wash off the sauce.
BTW, thank you so much for your lovely comments on my blog, I do look forward to reading your comments to me. As the month progress I am indeed more and more disappointed that we didn’t meet when I was in Europe.
Eva, thank you so much for such a kind and warm comment and for all the compliments. I also love reading your messages and it’s such a pleasure talking to you, also on your blog
. I love so much the time difference because I wake up, take my morning coffee and discover all the fascinating messages from my friends who live so far away and who wrote them when I was asleep… It certainly improves my mood for the day 
It was a big bad luck we didn’t meet: you were here when I was in Japan and it was the only and first time I went to Japan… Let’s hope we meet next time.
Your mum’s cucumber salting reminds me a bit the Japanese pickling process, like the seaweed and cucumber salad I linked to above: it requires salting in order to squeeze out liquid, but I don’t put a lot of salt, so it’s not very salty I think and the cucumber still had some crunchiness. In general I prefer my cucumber very crunchy (I never peel it because the skin adds even more crunchiness).
I also have some spices I have never used… and before buying the Sichuan cookery book I love, I used to have one jar of sesame paste for two years in the fridge. I would taste it from time to time, think “it is good!” but all the recipes I found somehow didn’t convince me. Now the sesame paste dressing is one of my favourite and I think it’s worth buying sesame paste only for this (since I eat a lot of salads).
Goat yogurt has a consistency like a normal yogurt (not like Greek one, so no need to dilute it), but the problem is that it was not good eaten alone as a snack or dessert (the thing I often do with cow milk yogurt), so I’m glad I found it is great in salads. I will experiment more in this direction. (I have already bought two more goat yogurts!).
Hi sissi!!! Wow it feels so weird (but good) to be back in the blogsphere! Great dish to see back here. There’s a wonderful wonderful lady who sells her goat’s dairy products at the farmer’s market where I work. She has THE most amazing goat’s cheese I’ve ever tried, soft creamy tangy but not overly ‘smelly’ (I’m Asian). And she also does goat yogurt which I just never got round to trying. But I should. Definitely, now that I’ve seen this. I love how when we make substituitons we often end up discovering even better new dishes or recipes
x
Hi Shuhan, I’m so happy to see you back. I have missed you a lot. I hope everything went well! You know, as much as I love matured, very strong cheese, I have always preferred goat cheese much fresher and softer. This yogurt does smell like goat cheese of course, but much less than the cheese. I didn’t feel like eating it alone (like cow yogurt) but I felt there was a big potential if I found a way to use it
Very refreshing salad Sissi. I must confess that I never had goat yogurt…but can imagine the flavor.
Looks very pretty and I love the idea of fresh herbs.
Thanks for the recipe and have a lovely week
Thank you, Juliana. Have a lovely week too.
I’ve never seen goat yogurt but your salad sounds great and your photo is terrific.
Thank you so much, Karen.
Oh my, this looks like a jazzed up version of tzatziki! Perfect for summer weather… now if only the sun would come out in London. Anyway, thanks for the recipe and it’s nice to have stumbled upon your blog!
Thank you so much, Irina, and welcome to my blog! I know what you mean… I am trying to pretend with such refreshing dishes that real spring is there… although it is not. I think I am experiencing the coldest May in my whole life.
Finally – a dish that I can make tomorrow because I have all of the ingredients! I love goat yogurt and this salad is a perfect use for it. Yes – I have a few things in the pantry that I’m asking myself – why did you buy that?
Hi, MJ. I cannot believe it! You are the first person I know who admits knowing goat yogurt! I hope you will like this simple salad.
They sell it at the health food store that I shop it and it’s even made locally. I love it!
Fresh dill has a very unique and powerful taste. I love your salad Sissi. It has all the flavors that I like to eat especially this time of the year!
Thank you, Katerina. I imagine this salad would be good for warm, sunny Greek spring…
hm I have never had goat yogurt before, I do wonder if it is stronger in flavor compared to normal cow milk yogurt. Yeah I think so too that your salad would go well with some Indian food, it’s for sure a refreshing side and just perfect during summer. Yogurt cools the stomach and without yogurt I wouldn’t be able to take the heat.
Hi, Helene. Yes, this yogurt has a smell which reminds me of fresh goat cheese, but it adds an interesting, original side to this salad. I’m glad you agree about Indian dishes.
I already love goat cheese and I know this would be just delicious!
Thank you, Kiran.
Hi Sissi, I’d love to try this goat yoghurt – I must keep a look out for it. Hm, actually now I think about it I think I’ve seen it before… not sure. I finally found they have goat milk at my supermarket. Ok, it’s UHT (which I hate with a burning passion) but it’s better than nothing (incidentally, did you ever hear about pig milk? I think it’s impossible to buy but I heard it’s absolutely delicious (like “incredibly good!”). I digress though…
I love the look of your salad – so fresh and light. Did you consider making a slight pickle of the cucumber first (just putting it in a bag with some salt, squishing it around for a bit and leaving sealed for a couple of hours, then rinse off all the salt) and then make the salad with it? I love the texture of “quick-pickled” cucumber and then you wouldn’t have to worry about water oozing out in the salad.
Thanks a lot, Charles. I buy this yogurt in my organic shop, but I think it’s also sold in supermarkets. I prepare the quick Japanese-style cucumber pickles by salting the cucumber and removing the excess liquid, but then I prefer to serve it with a ‘thinner” dressing (like the cucumber and seaweed salad for example). The taste slightly changes too and cucumbers are not as fresh and neutral as here and less crunchy too.
Pork milk sounds disgusting really… pigs are so close to humans… It is even worse than mare milk (it’s sold in organic shops).
Sissi, I have made my cucumber salad this way with the yoghurt instead of the sour cream, but not have added sliced red radishes; but always, and always fresh dill which I love so much!
Lovely salad, and superb photo and great recipe…thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Elisabeth. It’s a simple salad, but goat yogurt makes it really special.