A light and cooling dip made with yogurt, cucumber and mint. So great for cooling the palate alongside a spicy curry.
This is my simple 5-ingredient recipe. A great addition to a homemade Indian banquet, or simply as a dip for tortilla crisps.
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I love making little simple side dishes to go along curries – be it a simple tomato, onion and coriander salad, a bowl of mini poppadoms, or this 5-minute raita.
It makes a curry feel extra special, and more like something you’d get from your local Indian restaurant.
This raita is lovely cooling side dish that works great as a dip for poppadoms, or as a way to cool the palate when eating a hot curry.
What is raita?
Raita is a simple plain yogurt or curd-based sauce or dip, flavoured with vegetables or sometimes fruit. It’s usually served as a cooling side dish with Indian food.
It’s often made with cucumber and/or mint, but can also include onions, spices, tomato, carrot or spring onion – to name but a few variations.
What do we need?
How to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Slice the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds
- Grate the cucumber and squeeze out the liquid
- Place the cucumber in a bowl with natural yogurt, cumin, salt and fresh mint.
Stir together and serve topped with a few small fresh mint leaves.
What to serve it with
I love to serve this with pretty much any of my Curry Recipes
- Easy Chicken Curry (in the image above)
- Slow-Cooked Spicy Beef Curry
- Chicken Madras
- Chicken Jalfrezi
- Spicy Chicken Curry
- Rogan Josh
- Homemade Pilau Rice
- Alongside homemade Chapati or Chicken Pakora
What’s the difference between raita and tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a Greek dip made using Greek yoghurt (instead of an Indian dip using natural yogurt). Tzatziki is also made with cucumber but is often flavoured with dill and garlic, plus a little sugar, as well as an acidic element, such as white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
Tzatziki is usually thicker than raita.
Raita often contains some spices.
Watch how to make it
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5 from 2 votes
Raita Recipe
A light and cooling dip made with yogurt, cucumber and mint. Perfect for cooling the palate alongside a spicy curry. Only 5 ingredients.
Prep Time:
5 minutes mins
Cook Time:
0 minutes mins
Total Time:
5 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dips, side dish
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber
- 240 g (1 cup) thick natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- ½ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Sliced the cucumber in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds using a teaspoon and discard.
1/2 cucumber
Grate the cucumber then squeeze the juice out of the cucumber over the sink or a bowl using clean hands.
Place the cucumber in a bowl. Add the yogurt, mint, cumin, and salt.
240 g (1 cup) thick natural yogurt, 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves, ½ tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp salt
Stir together until combined and serve.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, the flavour actually develops further if you make it a few hours ahead of time. If you are making it ahead, cover and refrigerate. It should last for 2-3 days. You’ll need to give it a stir before serving, as the remaining liquid from the cucumber will start to rise to the top of the raita after a couple of hours.
Can I freeze it?
I don’t recommend freezing it. Cucumber does not stand up well to freezing and may well break down and turn squishy upon defrosting. This will make the raita more watery and it may split.
Can I swap the natural yogurt for Greek yogurt?
Yes – it will work just as well
Nutritional Information is per serving
Nutrition
Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.
