Cucumber Raita (Easy and Healthy)
Cucumber Raita is refreshing, healthy, delicious, and very cooling.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cup peeled and grated cucumber
- 1 small green chili finely chopped ((optional))
- 3-4 mint leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Chaat Masala powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar ((optional))
- A pinch of red chili powder to garnish
- A pinch of roasted cumin powder to garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, take yogurt and whisk well to make it smooth.
- Rinse and peel the cucumber, and shred it with the large hole grater. Also, make sure to taste the cucumber, it should not be bitter or sour.
- If your cucumber has lots of seeds, first cut it lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then grate the cucumber.
- Add grated cucumber, green chili, mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder, and sugar.
- Mix everything well to combine.
- Take it into a serving bowl and garnish with red chili powder and roasted cumin powder. You can also garnish it with mint leaves or coriander leaves.
- Serve the Cucumber Raita right away or let it chill in the fridge until the time of serving.
- Cucumber Raita is best served fresh or within few hours of making.
Notes
- Grating The Cucumber: Cucumber contains lots of water, and upon grating, it will release the water. And adding shredded cucumber with water will make the Raita thinner and runny. To prevent lots of water release from the cucumber, shred the cucumber with the grater, which has large holes. If you don’t have the large holes grater, you can also finely chop the cucumber. The other option is to squeeze the water out from the shredded cucumber. I generally do not do that to prevent nutrient loss. And largely shredded cucumber always works for me.
- Yogurt: I have used plain homemade yogurt, and fresh homemade yogurt makes the Raita light and delicious. You can check out my recipe for homemade yogurt. However, if you want to have a thick Raita, use Greek yogurt or hung yogurt.
- Cucumber: I have used English cucumber to make this Raita. English cucumber does not have many seeds, and that is what I prefer. But you can use your choice of cucumber, and before grating, taste the cucumber and make sure that it is not bitter or sour.
- Green Chili: I like a slight hint of heat in my Cucumber Raita, so I add a small green chili or half of it. The Raita should not be too spicy, as it is mostly served with Pulao or Biryani, which are already spicy. So adding green chili is optional, and you can leave it out. Or you can use red chili powder for the spiciness instead of green chili.
- Mint Leaves: I love the flavor of mint in the Raita, and mint makes it very refreshing. But if you don’t like a mint flavor or do not have the mint leaves, skip it.
- Coriander Leaves: Use the fresh coriander leaves and chop them finely.
- Roasted Cumin Powder: I will say this ingredient is a must for this recipe. It provides a lot of flavor to the Raita. Do not sub it with regular cumin powder. If you do not have roasted cumin powder, it is super easy and quick to make one. Dry roast a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a pan on medium-low heat until they are aromatic and change color. Let the seeds cool down, and then crush them into a fine powder.
- Chaat Masala: Add less or more Chaat Masala powder as per your taste.
- Sugar: Adding a teaspoon of sugar enhances the flavors of Cucumber Raita and reduces the tartness of the yogurt. However, it is optional, and you can leave it out.
Nutrition (Approximate Values)
Calories : 114kcalCarbohydrates : 11gProtein : 6gFat : 5gSaturated Fat : 3gCholesterol : 21mgSodium : 126mgPotassium : 304mgFiber : 1gSugar : 10gVitamin A : 198IUVitamin C : 4mgCalcium : 203mgIron : 1mg
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