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Raita

Raita is salad, relish, dip, and side dish in one. Yogurt-based, it usually includes something sharp to balance the sour blandness: onion, spices, mustard, even chiles. (It’s most closely associated with India, but similar mixtures are made in the Middle East.) The recipe here is the basic foundation of many raitas and is usually not eaten as is but added to according to preference. There are infinite variations, of which the ones that follow are among the most popular. All balance spicy curries well but are also good eaten on their own or as a dip for flatbreads, like those on pages 559–565.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the yogurt until smooth and creamy. If it remains thick and stiff, thin it with a little water and continue whisking.

    Step 2

    Stir in the sugar, cumin, mustard, and salt, along with any of the combined ingredients that follow.

  2. Cucumber-Mint Raita

    Step 3

    Stir 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves into the yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper and salt if necessary.

  3. Tomato Raita

    Step 4

    Stir 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced, 1 onion, peeled and diced, and 1 small hot green chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, into the yogurt. Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves and season to taste with cayenne or pure chile powder, like ancho or New Mexico.

  4. Mixed-Vegetable Raita

    Step 5

    Stir 1 cup diced fresh vegetables, like bell pepper, celery, radish, or fennel, into the yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper and garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

  5. Beet Raita

    Step 6

    Stir 1/2 cup cooked, peeled, and diced beets and 1 small hot green chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, into the yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper and garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

  6. Potato Raita

    Step 7

    Stir 2 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced, and 1 small hot green chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, into the yogurt. Season to taste with hot paprika and garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

  7. Chickpea Raita

    Step 8

    Stir 1 cup cooked or drained canned chickpeas and 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes into the yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper.

  8. Banana-Coconut Raita

    Step 9

    A sweet raita, good with very spicy dishes: Omit the sugar and substitute about 1 teaspoon garam masala (page 594) or curry powder for the cumin and mustard. Add 1/4 cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut and 2 ripe bananas, peeled and not-too-thinly sliced. Add chopped fresh mint leaves and a little bit of cayenne, or to taste.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
TagsCondimentDipIndianSouth AsianAsianYogurtDairyCucumberVegetableMintHerbs & SpicesTomatoBell PepperCeleryRadishRoot VegetableFennelBeetPotatoChickpeaBean and LegumeBananaFruitCoconutSideDinnerGluten FreeNut FreeVegetarian5 Ingredients or FewerNo-CookRamadanCookbooks
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