Yogurt with Shallots, Mint, and Rose Petals

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Yogurt with Shallots, Mint, and Rose Petals (a Not-from-Iran Interpretation of Mást’o Musir)

By Edward Behr

Mást’o musir is “yogurt with musir,” meaning the wild Persian shallot, Allium hirtifolium, which has a somewhat garlicky flavor. It’s mostly sold and used in dried form, but drying any allium gives it a crude edge that’s different from the fresh. I don’t know mást’o musir firsthand in Iran, and elsewhere you probably can’t find fresh musir. (It might be spreading. Apparently in London at least occasionally it appears fresh, sometimes called “solo garlic” or “single clove garlic.”) The recipe below makes do with fresh traditional shallots, probably fewer than you might find in Iran. Traditional shallots, sometimes called “true shallots,” are grown from bulbs rather than seed. The ones sold in North American supermarkets are almost certainly grown from seed and may be dried out. The richer the yogurt the better, but the artificially thick yogurt sold as “Greek” doesn’t taste anything like the yogurt I’ve tasted in Greece. Go for honest flavor and texture. Fresh rose petals provide a beautiful color, and if you happen to grow a perfumed variety, they add another dimension. The amounts below are only a guide, because the ingredients vary in flavor and intensity, and no particular balance is needed. Mást’o musir is a dip with flatbread, a snack or appetizer by itself, an accompaniment to grilled meat, roast lamb, and some other meat dishes.

1 liter (1 quart) plain whole-milk cup-set yogurt

30 gr (more or less 2) firm true shallots (see headnote), sliced thinly crosswise

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves, plus a few whole ones for garnish

½ cup fresh, organic pink rose petals with a strong scent (best picked half-open early in the morning before the sun reaches them), chopped, plus a few whole petals for garnish, optional

black pepper and salt

Stir together the yogurt, shallots, chopped mint, and chopped rose petals, if you have them; grind in black pepper and season with salt. Garnish with whole mint leaves and, if you have them, rose petals. Serves 4 to 8.

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