Tess Quinn

I grew up smelling fabulous curries and seasoning in my mother’s kitchen. No matter how complicated and rich most of the food was, none of them matched the simplicity of Raita. Raita is a cooling agent that cleanses the pallet in an Indian meal. Dipping bread into the yogurt in between eating meats or vegetables exploding with flavor helps a foodie enjoy the meal more. There are many ways to make Raita because families create their own versions based on traditional recipes. Here is mine. It makes a huge bowl of it, approximately 12 servings.



Ingredients
1 container of plain yogurt
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 red onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, finely chopped
Black salt
Cumin (optional)
Cayenne Pepper
approximately one handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Water



Directions
Pour the yogurt into a large mixing bowl and add half a cup of water at a time, mixing after each addition, until yogurt is thick, smooth and creamy. Add cucumbers and onions, mix. Add tomatoes and mix. Add one table spoon of black salt, one tea spoon of cumin, and half a tea spoon of cayenne pepper (not necessary if you don’t like spice). Add mint leaves and stir. Taste and add seasoning accordingly. When Raita suits your taste, garnish with mint leaf.



Enjoy!