Raita is a classic
Indian salad and/or
side dish fundamentally consisting of
yogurt
and
cucumber, plus one or both of
mint and
garlic.
(Mint is more authentic, but most people are more likely
to have a clove of garlic than a bush of mint sitting around.)
Some people add a dash of
vinegar or
lemon juice,
or a pinch of
cumin,
basil,
dill... but as long
as it's got yogurt and cucumber,
raita is absolutely ideal for rescueing your
taste buds after an assault by the Fiery
Curry of Doom.
Recipes abound, but here's mine (with a tip of the
hat to
Mom):
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and shred the cucumber. (You can seed it if you feel like it, I usually don't bother.)
- Stir in the pinch of salt. Drain out the extra cucumber juice by letting it sit in a sieve for 30 minutes or by squeezing the mass gently with your hands (much more fun!). Pat dry if you're a perfectionist.
- Crush the garlic and/or mince the mint. Blend everything in a big bowl.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Enjoy. Keeps for about one day in the fridge.
Most cookbooks think one cucumber's worth of raita
should serve 4. Even when eating alone, I usually find myself scooping the last bits from the empty bowl and wishing I'd made more.
Debugging tips
If the bottom of your raita bowl has a layer of
water at the end of the hour, you're not extracting
enough cucumber juice. Better luck next time.
If the raita is more like a sauce than a salad,
your yogurt may be too runny, or you may be using
too much. Stick with high-fat,
chunky stuff, Valio's Bulgarian Yogurt here
in Finland is ideal. You can also put the yogurt
in a small sieve covered with a paper towel or two
to drain off extra liquid.