Raita (Yogurt Sauce)

Raita is a mixture of yogurt with vegetables and is often served as a side dish to an Indian meal. By paring with hot and spicy curries and grilled meat, it will cool down and balance out the strong flavors of the meal.

The choice of vegetables used and the size of cutting them will depend on your preference. I usually like my vegetables to be little chunkier and below is the version that I like to make. Once in a blue moon, I might add some red onion or green onion but usually I just skip it because I don’t like the after taste of raw onion.

Raita (Yogurt Sauce)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Persian cucumber or cucumber of your choice – diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup carrot – diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 jalapeño – seeds removed and diced into 1/4 inch pieces (adjust to taste)
3 to 4 sprigs of cilantro – roughly chopped
3 to 4 mint leaves – roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 teaspoon toasted cumin powder
1 tablespoon golden raisins – roughly chopped
Salt to taste
Few dashes of black pepper

Directions:

1. Add yogurt in bowl and stir with a fork or whisk so that it is smooth and creamy. Add water and stir well to combine. Depending on the yogurt, you might need more or less water. Adjust to your desired consistency.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and adjust according to taste.
3. Serve slightly chilled.

Note: You can also add little bit of red onion or green onion if you prefer.

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