Cucumber Raita

Cucumber Raita is a cooling Indian yogurt dip made with yogurt, grated cucumber and mint. I serve it alongside poppadoms, rice dishes or any other Indian meal.

Raita is the term for any Indian yogurt dip. You can get different flavours of raita such as Boondi raita, tomato raita and onion raita. Other vegetables can be added such as Butternut Squash Raita which is made with roasted cumin seeds.

You can also make mix fruit raita which has the perfect combination of sweet and savoury.

Dips and sauces are crucial to a complete indian meal in a restaurant. A variation of raita is this Indian Mint Sauce. Other Poppadom dips such as Indian Onion Chutney and Tamarind Chutney are so good with starters!

Ingredients

Cucumber - english or persian cucumbers work best as they have thin skin that you do not need to peel.

Yogurt - Greek yogurt works best as it is thick and creamy.

Green chilli

Mint - fresh mint leaves are best. Do not substitute dried mint or use mint sauce

Sugar - raita tastes best with the addition of a little sugar to provide a gentle sweetness

Salt to taste

Chaat masala

Pro Tips

Note that the proper recipe for cucumber raita does not contain the addition of coloured spices such as red chili powder. The aim is to keep the raita white and green only.

Grating cucumbers releases moisture so it is worth squeezing the liquid before adding to the yogurt

If you skip draining the cucumber ensure you use a good quality thick greek yogurt to retain some thickness to the raita.

Instructions

Into a bowl, grate cucumber using a large holes of a grater or use a food processor.

Optionally, place into a clean kitchen towel or muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess water and allow to drain for a minute. Or add directly to the yogurt.

In a larger bowl, whisk the yogurt if not already smooth. Tip in the grated cucumber, sugar, chopped green chillies, finely chopped mint leaves. Sprinkle over chaat masala and season with a pinch of salt.

Stir well.

You can chill in the fridge before serving or serve at room temperature.

Serving Suggestion

My favourite way to enjoy cucumber raitha is as a side dish to Indian appetizers such as poppadoms and onion bhaji.

Cucumber raita will always go well with Biryanis such as this Paneer Tikka Biryani. Curries such as Matar Paneer go well with raitha.

Serve it alongside Indian kachumber salad or Indian Onion Salad

Add leftovers to a falafel sandwich!

Storage

I find that raita is best consumed the day it is prepared. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and consume the next day.

I do not recommend freezing raitha.

Other Yogurt Dips

Authentic Tzatziki

Yogurt Garlic Sauce

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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