← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 400 g thick plain yogurt
• 1 Cucumber, finely chopped or coarsely grated
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper or a pinch of chilli powder
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• 6 mint leaves, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 Green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for about 1 minute, until they darken a shade and smell nutty. Crush them to a powder.
2. If you grated the cucumber, squeeze it gently to remove excess water so the raita stays thick.
3. Whisk the yogurt until smooth, then stir in the cucumber, salt, most of the cumin, pepper, herbs and chilli.
4. Sprinkle the remaining cumin on top and serve chilled with biryani, curries or pakoras.

Tips

• Add salt just before serving: salting early draws water from the cucumber and thins the raita.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes Hebbar's Kitchen