Mint raita yoghurt dip

Finally here comes the time to post famous Mint raita recipe. This rich and fresh yoghurt sauce is a staple in Indian homes as it can be served with almost every dish.  It is essential especially during the hot weather or as an accompaniment for hot and spicy curries as both mint and yoghurt are known for their cooling properties. It balances the richness of Indian dishes and tastes particularly good with stuffed Parathas (flatbread) and Biryanis and Pulaos (rice dishes), but also as a dip for popular starters, like samosas or onion bhajis.

Same as many other Indian recipes, there is no defined formula as such. Raitas are very flexible and depending on your needs adjust the ingredients below to create the taste that suits your personal preferences and various dishes.

(Recipe by Chef Clary Wilson, comments and tips by meJ )

Ingredients:

150g natural yoghurt

1 small piece of cucumber- chopped finely

1 sprig of fresh coriander- chopped finely

½ tsp dried or fresh mint- chopped finely

½ medium sized tomato- chopped finely

2 slices of onion- chopped finely

1 radish grated

½ tsp cumin seeds- dry roasted and grinded into powder

½ fresh chilli- chopped finely

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp mango (amchoor) powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Enjoy!

TIPS:

 Take the fresh yogurt and pass that through a sieve so there are no lumps in it. This should create a perfect consistency of your raita.

As I mentioned earlier you can experiment with ingredients ratio. You can also omit some ingredients. If you decide to use more vegetables your raita will gain a salad consistency. You can decide to reduce the components to make it more sauce like.

I find that cumin might be slightly overpowering, so don’t rush with adding too much of it, unless you really like its strong flavour.

Usually I also replace fresh chilli with hot chilli powder, which adds spiciness and works perfectly if raita is served as a dip for milder snacks in example: pakoras. But if you want to achieve opposite effect and tame the heat of curries with cool raita, you should rather be careful.

If you like strong minty flavour make sure you are using fresh mint leaves. Before mixing them with yoghurt, using mortar and pestle, grind them to a fine paste with a few drops of water.