Cucumber Raita.

“Cucumber Raita / Cucumber ~ Curds Salad” … A yummy raita / salad that goes very well with pulav, biryani, khichdi, bisi bele baath, masala baath or any other spicy rice … Yummy Yumz … 

Raitas are an accompaniment to lunch / dinner with other spicy dishes. Whenever I prepare Biryani or spicy pulavs, Raita is a must in my home. We love having spicy rice dishes with raita rather than curries. My hubby loves raita with roti too. The curd based salad goes very well with many a dishes. Raita should always be served fresh. Once the beaten curd is added to the cut vegetables, it should be mixed, tempered and served within an hour at maximum period. Once the veggies are added to the curds it tends to turn sour. Salt also should be added towards the end. All said and done Raita is a common dish in my home during summer time. I always prepare curds in bulk and store in fridge, so that I can prepare raita, curd rice or other curd dishes without having to worry to go to store to buy the same. I have hardly bought store curds except when I come back from holidays and I need them as culture for preparing curds again. I have already written in my blog about the preparation method of curds. You may check on the same. Do include curds in any form in your daily diet as they are very good for health and for the stomach. This particular raita has only cucumber as due to heavy rains / water clogging / flooding for 2 continuous day Mumbai had come to a standstill. I had cucumber at home so prepared the same with curds and enjoyed this with Khichidi, the combo of both is really a soul food. 

** Recipe for preparation of cucumber raita is simple : Just peel off the skin of 2-3 large sized cucumbers. Slice off the edges and discard them. Now cut it into medium sized pieces. The shape and size of the cuts is upto each individual's choice, you may even grate the cucumbers if you prefer but remember not to add in any water as grated cucumbers leave off more water.

** Add 1 cup of thick beaten curds, salt to taste and mix well. If the raita is too thick you can add some boiled and cooled water and mix it well. However, do not make the raita too thin, as raitas should always be thick. Also once the cucumber is added it leaves in some water, so check just before serving and add only if absolutely necessary.

** For Tempering : Heat 1 tblsp of coconut oil (Optional, any oil will do) in a small pan. When hot, lower the heat and add in ¼ tsp of jeera, , ½ tsp mustard seeds and fry till mustard splutter. Now add in 6-8 curry leaves and 2-3 red chillies cut into pieces, fry for a few seconds. Lastly add in ¼ tsp of hing powder, stir and pour over cucumber raita and mix well. 

** “Cucumber Raita / Cucumber Curds Salad” is now ready to be served as an accompaniment along with any dish of your choice. If at all you have prepared this before hand, do put it in the fridge to avoid the dish going sour. You can prepare this a few hours before serving too and put it in fridge and serve later on. In which case just remove the raita about 20 minutes before serving time from the fridge and keep it aside to loose coolness a little bit. An easy and quick recipe which will be loved by people who love a little bit of sourness in dishes.