Classic Cucumber Raita with Mint
Even as I penned the title of this post – Classic Cucumber Raita with Mint, I had misgivings after all a classic recipe suggests it is the one, a totally established and honestly there really is no such thing, in Indian cooking!
Yes, read my lips, no set formulas, however there are general guidelines… So, you might ask how do they differ? A guideline is a loose prescription, for example at a bare minimum a raita will have yogurt and then it will have something refreshing and cooling and possibly neutral tasting, such as in this case and most popular instances cucumber, but then again they can have radishes or carrots as in my recipe in the Spices and Seasons cookbook, or even eggs, yes, this one had been on my list to try, right alongside the DIY gift for the baby brother.
Ironically enough, we make the radish raita with mustard, pretty often, the MIL approves of it!
However, when I saw this recipe, something caught my attention and I had to post my classic version. There are a few ingredients in this classic version that are not really discretionary.
The two in my opinion are, the cayenne or black pepper and the cumin, this sort of harks back to their ayurvedic roots. Well, the cumin is both cooling and a part of my essential spice kit, and is also soothing and good for the summer and the black pepper and or cayenne helps with the heat factor. I see a lot of raita recipe these days with lime and lime zest, well… not so sure, because in North India, where the raita originates one tends to use at least a day old yogurt for the raita, which makes it naturally tart. Classic means different things to different people…
Given the date and events, I could not help noting John Nash’s death, and being a arithmeticians spouse myself I so realize the weird dimensions of a beautiful mind. In my opinion, Alicia’s love was classic, and others might not agree. So their lies the conundrum of being classic.
Anyhow, without much fuss, here is the simple and in my opinion, classic and easy version of the cucumber raita, a trendy and may I add very seasonal condiment.
PrintClassic Cucumber Raita with Mint
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cucumber Raita is a refreshing and classic Indian condiment, perfect to beat the heat or cool the spices in most Indian dishes.
Ingredients
2 medium sized English or Persian cucumbers (About 11/2 pounds)11/2 cups of day old natural yogurt
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon black or Himalayan salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Cayenne pepper for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
Peel the cucumbers coarsely. Grate about 3/4 of all the cucumbers and finely chop the rest. Set the chopped cucumbers separate from the the grated cucumbers. Place the grated cucumbers in mixing bowl.In a separate bowl add the yogurt and beat well.
Mince the mint leaves and add in to the yogurt.
Add in the cumin, black pepper and the sugar and beat well. Gently fold in the grated cucumbers,
Top with the diced cucumbers and sprinkle with the cayenne and chill up to an hour or serve immediately.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/classic-cucumber-raita-with-mint/
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