Raitha
Raitha is a cooling yoghurt dish served as an accompaniment to spicy Indian food. The combination of yoghurt, cucumber and fresh spices acts as a counterbalance to chilli and bold spices in a curry. It works much like tzatziki, but with an Indian spice character.
The basic recipe uses cucumber, but raitha is also made with banana, tomato, mint or boiled potatoes. The tangy yoghurt is the foundation — a creamy base that binds the finely chopped vegetables together. A single green chilli adds a little bite without competing with the main dish.
The most important step is to salt the cucumber and leave it to drain in a colander. Cucumber holds a lot of water, and without that step the raitha turns thin and watery quite quickly. Pat the cucumber thoroughly dry before mixing it into the yoghurt.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 100 g cucumber, finely sliced, plus a little extra to garnish
- 300 ml plain yoghurt
- 50 g spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- coriander leaves, to garnish
- salt
Directions
Place the finely sliced cucumber in a colander. Sprinkle a good pinch of salt over it and mix through. Leave it to drain for 30 minutes to draw out the water.
Rinse the salt off the cucumber and pat it thoroughly dry with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel. It is important that it is as dry as possible, otherwise the raitha will turn watery.
Whisk the yoghurt smooth in a bowl and season with salt. Fold the cucumber, spring onions and finely chopped chilli into the yoghurt with a spoon. Stir gently — the yoghurt should not become thin.
Pour the raitha into a serving bowl. Garnish with the reserved cucumber slices and a few fresh coriander leaves. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.
Notes
Raitha tastes best fresh, but will keep covered in the fridge for a couple of hours. After too long, the cucumber draws water and makes the yoghurt thin.
The cucumber can be replaced with ripe banana cut into cubes, blanched tomato or boiled potatoes. Banana raitha turns slightly sweet and pairs particularly well with very spicy dishes.
A teaspoon of toasted cumin ground in a mortar lifts the flavour. It is not part of the simple basic recipe, but a common addition in many households.
Use a full-fat yoghurt with 3.5–4% fat. Low-fat yoghurt turns too watery and sharp.
See Also
Cucumber Raita (Kheera Raita)
Mint Raita
Boondi Raita
Green Chutney
