Mast o Laboo, a beautiful pink, vegetarian Persian dish of yogurt mixed with beets.
Mast o Laboo – Persian Yogurt Dip with Beets
That day is fast upon us. Yep – that one. In a season where writing on candy is suddenly normal and stuffed animals are exchanged like currency – resistance is futile. More often than not, we end up giving in and embracing all Valentine’s Day has to offer, meaning gorging on all the delicious carbohydrates candy that comes along with it.
On the other hand, if you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day and all things pink withOUT causing your loved one to go into diabetic shock, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you! Why not show your love by actually preparing something that’s good for your hearts? Yogurt and beets are not only delicious together, but both are packed with heart-healthy nutrients!
Mast o Laboo – Persian Yogurt Dip with Beets
So go ahead, embrace the cheesiness and your loved ones. Throw in a few heart-shaped things while you’re at it – I won’t tell. 😉
Yes, there are beets hiding under there!
Note: See this page for more Persian yogurt dishes!
- Serves: 4
- Serving size: ½ cup
- Calories: 73
- Fat: 0
- Saturated fat: 0
- Unsaturated fat: 0
- Trans fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 6
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 89
- Protein: 12
- 2 cups of strained, high-quality yogurt
- 4 medium beets, steamed and peeled
- Cut your beets into your desired shape - either rods, slices or a dice.
- There are 3 ways to assemble this dish - beets under, over or within.
- The first is to place the beet pieces at the bottom of the serving dish and spoon your yogurt over it. The deep purple underneath is a beautiful surprise when serving it.
- The second is to simply top the yogurt with your beet slices.
- The last is to mix the beet pieces into the yogurt until they're even distributed and your yogurt has taken on a consistently pink hue.
Ahu Joon
I love the pictures!!!
<3333333333333!!
Pinky JJ
Thanks!
This is the healthiest Valentine’s treat so far. I love labu and I love mast. What an awesome post, Ahu! 🙂
Fae jan, merci! So glad you liked it.
Fred, although there is no comment showing up I thank you for the sentiment anyways, I know it is not ‘blank’! 🙂
Too beautiful to eat, but eat it I shall.
Take this to the MOMA. Looks incredible.
Haha, thanks! Not sure the MOMA accepts perishables! 🙂
This recipe should be called “Iranian” and not “Persian” , unless we have some evidence that it was made by the Persian Achaemenians.
Kamran- LOL! Persian is simply the English word for Iranian. The word Persian was coined by the Greeks thousands of years ago and it remains the active word to describe Iranians in every romance language speaking country in the world.
When we say “Persian” we are speaking English. When we say “Ayrani” (Iranian) we are speaking Persian. Persian is the English name for the Farsi language.
What you wrote is analogous to telling a German that speaks English and lives in America, “No, you’re wrong, you can’t refer to your own food as German, you must use the word Deutsche.” Heehee. That’s funny.
But, here, I’ll teach you the difference. When I speak English I use the word Persian to refer to the people, the culture, and all goods that come from Iran (like a Persian carpet for example or Persian food). The name Persia only officially changed to Iran during WWII. They have been used interchangeably for thousands of years and remain so to this day even in Iran (except on official documents). Yup, you read that right, both names were always used. So the name change wasn’t really a big deal. Hope this helps.
But really, this is a food blog and we should be talking about the food!!! I personally love this dish. What a wonderful idea to use heart shapes and make it a valentines day treat. Well done Ahu!
XOGREG<3
You are right – its a great idea to serve some healthy foods this weekend! We don’t have a single dessert planned! (Contrary to my post! I made those and shot the photos three years ago!!) Happy Valentine’s Day + one. xox
Looks like a simple and delicious recipe, Ahu. The color of the finished dish is just beautiful.