Indian Raita: A Perfect, Cooling and Refreshing Condiment for Biryanis, Pulao and Rice Dishes | Cucumber-Yogurt Raita(Salad)

How to Make Delicious Raita in 5 Minutes

Hello Foodies,

So after getting lots of requests to share Raita recipe, so here, I am with the perfect, simple, and delicious 5 minutes No-Cook Cucumber Raita recipe. It has a delicious flavor, so many variations, and can become spicy or plain, sweet or savory. I include the recipe for cucumber raita to start you off! It is the simplest and quickest recipe on the blog so far. But also the most versatile, my family’s love for raita has no limits, and it’s on our meal every other day. It is the best cooling element for the Spicy Biryani.

Its Dr.K’s(My husband's) favorite condiment and he always wants it with Chicken Dum Biryani. It is such a cooling and delicious side for biryani, pulao, and dal.

Video Recipe:

What is Raita?

Raita is a condiment in Asian cuisine made of yogurt together with vegetables, or fruits, or boondi (fried droplets of batter made from chickpeas flour). You can say it a side dish or dip, or a yogurt-based salad.

Yogurt:

In India, Yogurt is also called ‘Curd’ or ‘Dahi.’ These are not greek yogurt, but basically plain yogurt. Raita has a more liquidy consistency (even a choice thing) and is way more versatile.

It has a mixture of cucumbers, tomato, onion, and coriander mixed into yogurt. It’s simple, packs a lot of veggies in, and goes so well with almost everything!! We mostly eat it with rice, biryanis, and pulao, or sometimes, I make Sandwich out of them and eat it as an evening snack! There are many variations in India and many other kinds of raita, not just Cucumber Raita, but here is a basic recipe that most are familiar with.

I hope you will try it and will enjoy it!

Some Other Salad and Salsa Recipes to Try:

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes.

Each Serving of Cucumber Raita Contains 54 Cal.

Ingredients:

Yogurt 2 Cups
Cucumber ½ Cup. chopped
Tomato ½ Cup, chopped
Onion ½ Cup, chopped
Coriander leaves ¼ Cup, Chopped.
Salt 1 Tsp
Sugar 1 Tsp(Optional, see notes)

Instructions:

Whisk together yogurt, sugar, and salt for a minute.
Then add cucumber, tomato, onion, coriander, and mix well.
Refrigerate for half an hour before serving.
After refrigeration, you will notice that the veggies will leave a little water and give it a quick mix and are ready to go. Enjoy with Biryani and Pulao!!!

Recipe Notes, Variations, and Substitutes:

To make it Vegan, you make this with dairy-free coconut yogurt.
Instead of coriander, you can use mint leaves too.
You can use greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt, but since greek yogurt is thicker, add ¼ to ½ cup of water to dilute it.
You can make it no onion-No garlic recipe by skipping onion.
Instead of chopping, you can grate the cucumber, I love chopped cucumber, so I have used here.
Raitas are usually mildly salted, so adjust according to taste.
Raita can be made the previous night or in the morning and refrigerated easily for 10-12 hours.
Finely chop the onion and let the onion soak in the cold water while you prepare the other ingredients(to get away from the raw smell of onion).
If you like, you can add ½ Tsp of freshly grated ginger too.
Yogurt used in this recipe was a bit sour, so I have used sugar in this recipe; you can skip adding sugar.
I did skip the cumin since the biryanis and pulao has plenty of it, but if you like you can add 1 Tsp cumin powder.
Sometimes I serve refreshing raita as a dip for my homemade naan as well as a condiment for Tandoori Chicken/Shrimps.

Dietary Comment:

The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Per serving contains 54 calories, along with 9.1 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fats, and 1.8 g protein.
Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level.

Good Time To Eat:

It is good to eat Cucumber Raita as a snack or as a side dish for your meal.

If you make this recipe, share your food picture with the hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook so that everyone can enjoy it too!
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