Cucumber Raita

Cucumber Raita is a creamy, herby dip, with a little hint of spice, that goes perfect with curry and some naan bread to dip in to it. The coolness of this dip will really cut through a hot and spicy curry, so it's a great little side dish for a curry night for people that can handle different levels of heat.

If you love tzatziki, then you are going to love this dip which is pretty similar. Both are creamy based dips that are bulked out with cucumber and some mint, but whereas tzatziki has some lemon juice to make it a light and fresh dip, raita has Indian spiced to give it lots of hearty flavour.

Anyone that has ever ordered a curry that is way more spicier than what they can handle knows that water does not help the situation, it just makes it worse. It is said that milk is the best solution, but drinking a glass of milk with a curry just seems a bit odd to me. Instead, have a spoonful of this raita between bites of a super spicy curry and it will really cool the situation down.

Raita is usually just seasoned with some toasted cumin seeds (and some more served on top), however we went with some garam masala instead, as it still has cumin, but lots of lovely other warming flavours too. Feel free to stick with tradition and just go with cumin though.

Step by step

One: Coarsely grate all of the cucumber and put in a cheese cloth and squeeze out all the liquid.
Two: Chop the mint, crush the garlic and crate the ginger
Three: Put the yoghurt in a large bowl with the cucumber, mint, garlic, ginger and garam masala.
Four: Mix well.

Raita with yoghurt

This recipe really couldn't be any more simple. After you have shredded and squeezed all the liquid out of the cucumber, you just throw it in a bowl with the yoghurt and rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

As the yoghurt is a big part of this cooling dip, you want to go with a really good quality one. We used full fat, because it just gives so much more flavour, but you could use reduced fat, or fat free if you wanted to. You want to go with a plain yoghurt, rather than a thick Greek yoghurt, as this isn't tzatziki.

Mint or coriander?

We used mint in our raita, but if you are not a fan then you can swap it for coriander which goes really well with curry. Why not go all out and use half mint and half coriander to mix things up a bit?

How to store raita

You can make some of it in advance, but I wouldn't add the cucumber until the last minute because it would get too watery when left. The same goes for freezing it - when it defrosts it gets watery. This is such a quick and easy dip to make, it's best to just make it before you are going to serve it.

What to serve raita with

This is the perfect side dish to any curry. We always serve it with our Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh, Slow Cooker Beef Curry, Chickpea and Spinach Curry and Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry. Serve with our Easy Homemade Flatbreads to dip in it too.

Extra tips

• To keep it more traditional, swap the garam masala for toasted cumin seeds.
• Don't like mint? You can use fresh coriander instead.
• Give this dip a nutritional boost by swapping the cucumber for shredded courgette.
• If you are making this in advance, add the cucumber at the last minute.
• Use a full fat plain yoghurt to make this dip.

More dip recipes

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Recipe

Cucumber Raita

Cucumber Raita is a creamy, herby dip, with a little hint of spice, that goes perfect with curry and some naan bread to dip in to it.

Low Carb

Vegetarian

5 from 16 votes

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Course: Sauce/Spread, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Allergen:

Dairy

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 79kcal

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Ingredients

UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures

• ▢ 400 g plain yoghurt
• ▢ 0.75 cucumber
• ▢ 15 g fresh mint
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garam masala
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves crushed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• ▢ 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Coarsely grate all of the cucumber and put in a cheese cloth and squeeze out all the liquid.
• Chop the mint, crush the garlic and crate the ginger
• Put the yoghurt in a large bowl with the cucumber, mint, garlic, ginger and garam masala.
• Mix well.

Notes

• To keep it more traditional, swap the garam masala for toasted cumin seeds.
• Don't like mint? You can use fresh coriander instead.
• Give this dip a nutritional boost by swapping the cucumber for shredded courgette.
• If you are making this in advance, add the cucumber at the last minute.
• Use a full fat plain yoghurt to make this dip.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.