Cucumber & Red Onion Raita

Raita is a yogurt-based Indian side dish. It can be made with a lot of different ingredients: potato, pomegranate, tomatoes etc. I like this cucumber and red onion version because the combination of ingredients makes it quite fresh. It’s a great side to pretty much any dry-vegetable dish, especially if your main has a bit of a spicy kick!

RECIPE

Type: vegetarian (can be made vegan by using vegan yogurt)

Approx. Preparation time: 10 minutes

Approx. Cooking time: none

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 200g unflavoured greek yogurt
• One quarter of a cucumber (unpeeled)
• A handful of fresh coriander
• A quarter of a red onion
• Cumin seeds (preferably lightly roasted on a pan for 5 minutes on very low heat)
• A pinch of paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional – two tablespoons of milk, this makes the texture a little more silky and helps with the taste if your yogurt is a bit sour

PREPARATION STEPS

1. Grate the cucumber (make sure you wash it well, as in this recipe it is not peeled) and pop it into a small bowl
2. Finely chop the coriander leaves and add to the bowl
3. Finely dice the onion and add to the bowl
4. Crush the roasted cumin seeds between your hands, by rubbing one palm against the other, and add to the bowl
5. Add the yogurt and mix well
6. Add the salt, pepper and paprika and mix well
7. Optional – Add the milk and stir well
8. Keep in the fridge until it’s time to serve