If you’ve ever eaten traditional Indian food, chances are it was quite spicy. After all, one of the keys to making delicious Indian food is being liberal with the spices. But the spice-laden flavors of Indian food often need a cooling contrast. In India, this cooling factor often comes in the form of raita, a spiced yogurt dip. As with most dishes in India—an incredibly diverse country of 1.3 billion people, more than 2,000 ethnic groups, and hundreds of dialects—raita is made in different ways throughout the country.
What is Raita?
At most Indian restaurants in the U.S., you’ll find raita made with cucumber (as in this recipe), but it can be made in a wide variety of ways. You might find it with beets or pomegranate (yes, that means the yogurt will turn pink!) or with cooked potato or winter squash. Raita also includes a combination of spices and herbs (usually ground cumin along with fresh cilantro and mint), but, of course, variations abound. For the best flavor, I recommend toasting whole cumin seeds and then grinding them yourself using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, but I often make this with pre-ground cumin powder from the grocery store and it’s still delicious. However you make it, raita makes a fitting complement to the bold, spicy curries and dals common in Indian cuisine. And the best part is how easy it is to make! It takes all of five minutes and stores well in the fridge for a few days. Traditionally, raita is made with unsweetened full-fat yogurt (if you try using Greek yogurt in raita, every Indian aunty I know will give you a disapproving glance). Of course, my version is vegan and uses a plant-based yogurt. I prefer using the Homemade Coconut Yogurt from my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, but I also love these brands of yogurt: Culina, GT’s Cocoyo, and CocoJune.
What to serve raita with?
Basically, almost any Indian recipe that is spicy can use a little raita :) It’s excellent with main dishes like Tofu Tikka Masala, Red Lentil Curry, and Dal Makhani, as well as side dishes like Baingan Bharta.
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
