I love Indian food, the complex blend of spices. I also love the side dishes that go with Indian food. A few weeks when I made Slow Cooker Chana Aloo (missed it? You can find the recipe here), I served it with two Indian sides: a Raita and a Mango Chutney.
Raita is a great side dish, especially if you have something a little spicy. This cooling Indian cucumber sauce or dip is used to keep fiery food at bay in Indian cuisine. It also makes a great dip and is super simple to prepare. While there are similarities to Tzatziki – the yogurt and cucumber base – Raita has no garlic and it hangs out with cilantro instead of dill.
While this is usually served with Indian curry or Masala, this is also a great dip for holiday entertaining. It’s quite mild and cool, so it plays well with vegetables. Try serving it with cooked carrots.
Want more uses for Raita? It can do double duty as a sandwich spread, instead of mayo. Leftover curry, Masala or Butter Chicken? Add some leftover Raita and make a wrap. You can toss plain leftover rotisserie chicken in with Raita for a quick chicken salad sandwich.
Prep time: 5 minutes; Makes: 1 cup
What you need:
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
- 1/4 English cucumber, grated
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (if you hate cilantro, leave it out)
- 1 tbsp chopped green onion
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
What you do:
- Add grated cucumber to yogurt, stir
- Add cumin, coriander, onion powder to mix and stir well
- Add chopped cilantro and green onion and stir
- Refrigerate until ready to serve
- Yum!
- Cooling!
- Great as a dip
- Drizzle over cooked carrots
- Add some Cool as a Cucumber Love to your next dish!
