Greek Style Layered Dip

Probably last week I saw this recipe in Kevin's blog and the same week I tried it.  It's a very simple recipe with layers of hummus,tzatziki , chopped cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.  Hummus is a very popular middle eastern dip almost everybody will be familiar with this.  Hummus is made with a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic.  This is generally used as a dip for pitta bread, you can also serve  with fresh cut vegetables.
Tzatziki is again a Greek dip, made with strained yogurt, cucumber and fresh mint leaves. Actually the idea of making a perfect tzatziki I got it from my friend Schmetterling words.  She said to get a perfect tzatziki we have to squeeze out juice from the cucumber completely and a thick greek style yogurt.  Right let's see the ingredients for the layered dip...


Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2


Ingredients:
For Hummus:
Dried chickpeas- 100 g
Tahini- 1 tbsp
Garlic- 2 cloves
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Olive oil- 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
For Tzatziki:
Greek yogurt- 150 ml
Cucumber- 1(10 cm size)
Garlic- 2 cloves
Fresh mint leaves- 2 stalk finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the layers:
Cucumber- 1 ( 10 cm size)
Tomato- 1 medium sized( chopped into cubes)
Feta cheese- 75 g
Black olives- 7 to 8 chopped

Method:
Prepare the hummus:
Soak the dried chickpeas in water for 1 whole night.  The next day  add enough water to the chickpeas until it's completely immersed and pressure cook for upto 4 whistles. Add the cooked chickpeas, tahini, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt to a food processor.  Grind it to a coarse paste. If it doesn't grind well add some more oil.  Take the hummus and keep it separately.

Prepare the Tzatziki:
Peel and grate the cucumber, press it through a sieve to squeeze out the juice from the cucumber completely. Grate the garlic and chop the mint leaves finely. Mix the yogurt, cucmber, mint, garlic and salt.

Note:
If you can't find Greek yogurt in your place.  Place the normal yogurt in muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess water.

Prepare the layers:
In a wide plate or bowl, first spread the hummus, then tzatziki.  And on top of that add the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.

Serve the dip immediately with tortillas or pitta bread.  If you are planning for a party.  Prepare the hummus and tzatziki earlier and put it in your refrigerator.  Just before serving prepare the layers and serve.