Raita
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- ½ cup tomato, chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper
additions
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp mint
- ¼ cup chickpeas
- cooked spinach
This recipe is extremely loose. Basically, just stir some of your favorite chopped vegetables into yogurt and add salt and pepper. Use this as a stepping stone to develop your own.
After you stir all the ingredients together, store the raita in a covered container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Tzatziki
- 2 cups yogurt
- 1 large cucumber, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Grate the cucumber and place it in a sieve over a large bowl. Salt the cucumber and mix it around. Leave it for 30 minutes to 2 hours, occasionally pressing the cucumber gently into the sieve to get the liquid out. The salt will help leach the water out of the cucumber. Line another sieve (or the same one, cleaned) with paper towel or cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into it. You can leave it for as little as 1 hour on the counter or overnight in the fridge. The longer you leave it, the thicker it will get. This is how Greek yogurt is made!
Mix the strained cucumber with the yogurt and the other ingredients, then taste. Adjust the salt and pepper and add any more dill or onion.
Enjoy on sandwiches, as a dip, with pita or tortilla chips, or over meatballs, kebabs or anything spicy.
