Raita, dusted with chilli powder

Raita is a wonderful yogurt accompaniment which can be spooned over a steaming plate of biryani, or a cooling rescue for tastebuds  under chilli attack! Here is a slim version of our favourite raita recipe, and it’s a snap to make too!

Slim Raita

Ingredients

• 500g of low-fat dahi or low-fat plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• water
• Pinch chilli powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon artificial sweetener (optional)

Raita, served with a plate of biryani

Method

1. Add 30mL cold water to the yogurt and whisk it through until runny.
2. Finely chop the tomato, onion and cucumber.
3. Add tomato, onion and cucumber to the yogurt and mix through.
4. Garnish with a pinch of red chilli powder. This is mostly for dramatic effect, and you may want to omit it if you’re using the raita to soothe your over-spiced tastebuds.

You may also like to omit the onion if you are looking for a totally chilled-out raita.

Certain regions of the subcontinent, such as Bengal and Gujarat enjoy a semi-sweet raita. To achieve this pleasant taste, add 1 teaspoon of powdered artificial sweetener at step 1 of this recipe.