Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Cucumber, Red Onion and Cherry Tomato Raita (Vegetable Salad With Yogurt )

This raita or pachadi is simple and delicious and is spiced simply with roasted cumin seeds. It is a cool and refreshing summertime recipe. Raitas are best eaten immediately but will keep up to 2 days. I like using the hot-house or Persian cucumbers for their mild taste for this dish; plus their skin is very tender so no need to peel - less time for meal prep!

6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 Medium Cucumbers
1/2 small Red Onion(Optional)
1/2 cup cherry Tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Thick Yogurt
1 cup regular or low fat Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Whole Cumin Seeds, dry roasted and ground
A little Ground Red Chili or Cayenne or Paprika for garnish

Method:

Wash and dry all the veggies. Peel the cucumbers if they are waxed or have tough skins. Cut in half and check the seeds; if they are tender and immature, go ahead and chop finely. If the seeds are mature, scoop them out before chopping.

Finely chop the onions; halve the cherry tomatoes.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with most of the ground roasted cumin seeds; save a couple of pinches for garnish.

Place the raita in a serving dish, sprinkle the saved ground cumin and ground red chili/cayenne/paprika in a decorative design and chill until ready to serve.

Serve cold by itself, with sandwiches, rice, breads, curries, etc.

No comments: