Cucumber Raita is a yogurt-based side made with fresh cucumbers, herbs, and spices. Raita is a great accompaniment to pulao, biryani, and many more Indian meals.

You can also use it as a dip with chips and roasted veggies or falafel.

To make this, all we need is cucumber, mint leaves, green onion, spices, and of course yogurt. I use plain yogurt for raita and greek yogurt for the dip.

There are multiple variations of Cucumber Raita as some people prefer only cucumber. Some prefer a mix of cucumber, onion, tomatoes, pomegranate, and other fruits and vegetables being mixed up with some yogurt and spices. You can either grate cucumber or cut it into small cubes or thin slices and just add mint or cilantro leaves to it.

There is a variety of raitas in India. I particularly like this cucumber raita as it’s exceptionally quick to make, and the taste of mint and cucumber fits almost any main meal. Summers are the perfect time to relish this delicious side dish to enjoy the amazing health benefits it provides.

Method:

1. Put curd or yogurt in a mixing bowl. Whisk it until reached the desired consistency. I have not added water to it as the cucumber will have enough water in it.

2. Add spices to the bowl and mix.

3. Add grated cucumber.

4. Put chopped cilantro leaves and green onion to the bowl. Mix well.

5. Cucumber Raita can be served immediately or can be refrigerated and served chilled.

How to make it with a Tadka?

Heat some oil in a pan (preferably ghee) and add some cumin seeds, mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, and some curry leaves.

Roast them lightly on a medium flame and pour the tadka over the raita after cooling it for some time and your cucumber raita with a tadka will be ready.

Cucumber Raita

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Ashu
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x

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Description

Cucumber Raita is a refreshing, good-for-you yogurt, cucumber and herbs dip. Serve it with pita, chips, pulao, biryani, indian meals or just eat it with a spoon!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium sized cucumber
• 1 green onion
• 1½ cup curd or yogurt
• ½ tbsp sea salt
• 1 black pepper
• ¼ tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp chopped mint or cilatro leaves
• 1/2 tbsp dry mango powder

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Instructions

1. Firstly, grate the cucumber. Peel off the skin before you grate if the cucumber is bitter. Otherwise, its fine with the skin too.
2. Put curd or yogurt in a mixing bowl and whisk it until reached desired consistency.
3. Add sea salt, ground black pepper, cumin powder and dry mango powder. Mix well.
4. Add grated cucumber to the bowl and mix it. Then add chopped onion and mint leaves and mix it.
5. Serve cucumber raita with parathas, rice dishes and curries.

Notes

1. To remove the bitterness of the cucumber, before grating, cut about 1/4th inch of cucumber from the stem side and rub over the remaining big portion of the cucumber. You will see that froth is forming on the rubbed parts, it means the bitterness is no more. 
2. Add chives instead of green onion if you want to make it more herby.
3. Garnish or mix red chili flakes to replace ground black pepper. 
4. Use greek yogurt and make a paste of mint and mix it in yogurt(don’t whisk) instead of adding chopped leaves to use this as a dip. Serve with chips or roasted veggies.
5. If you do not have ground cumin available, dry roast cumin seeds on low heat until aromatic. Cool and powder them in a spice jar or use a mortar pestle. Make this in a large quantity to use later. 

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: American, Indian

Keywords: Cucumber Dip, Cucumber Raita