Simple, light, and super refreshing, this cucumber raita recipe comes together in 5 minutes and tastes fantastic when paired with biryani, parathas, or any Indian meal!
Cucumber Raita
Raita is a delicious Indian side dish that’s usually served with heavy and spicy main dishes to provide a cooling effect. It’s an incredibly versatile dish made with a yogurt base and has so many variations like onion raita, boondi raita, cucumber raita etc, and all of them are unbelievably easy to make.
This creamy cucumber raita is fresh and tasty, comes together in minutes and only requires four ingredients – curd, cucumber, salt and roasted cumin powder. Yes, it’s that simple!
Ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need the following ingredients to make cucumber raita:
Curd: Plain unsweetened curd (dahi) or yogurt works best. You can also substitute with greek yogurt if you want.
Cucumber: This cucumber salad can be made with any type of cucumber but I personally prefer using Persian cucumber. Grated cucumber will add more texture and creaminess to the raita, similar to tzatziki.
Seasonings: Salt and cumin. A dash of chilli powder too for some spice along with coriander leaves or mint leaves for garnish.
How to Make Cucumber Raita
Grate the cucumber and gently squeeze out excess water from it. You can do this using your hands or using a muslin cloth. This step will ensure that your raita doesn’t get a runny texture and will stay fresh and creamy throughout.
To this bowl add the curd, cumin powder, and salt along with a tablespoon of chopped coriander/ mint leaves. Combine everything well. Taste salt and add more if needed.
Sprinkle a little chilli powder and garnish with some coriander or mint leaves. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes to enhance the cooling effect!
Serving Suggestions
This cucumber raita is creamy, cool, and refreshing. It’s the perfect side dish that goes along with so many Indian meals. You can serve it as a side for biriyani, pulao, or khichdi.
It also goes well with parathas, rotis, or naan with a side of curry like this palak chicken, lasooni paneer, moong dal tadka, for an incredibly satisfying meal!
Cucumber Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain curd (dahi), unsweetened (can sub with greek yogurt)
- 1 cup persian cucumber, grated
- 1/2 tsp powdered cumin seeds (jeera), roasted
- t tbsp coriander leaves or mint leaves, finely chopped (optional)
- salt as needed
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. You may need to repeat this step multiple times.
- Add the grated cucumber to a mixing bowl.
- Add curd, salt and cumin powder to this bowl and mix everything until it's well combined.
- Top with a little chilli powder and coriander/ mint leaves. Serve it chilled along with biriyani, pulao or any indian meal!
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