Raita is the best accompaniment with any meal especially with dry vegetable preparations. Raita is very healthy, fresh and extremely delicious. Its a wonderful treat in hot summers.

1. Cucumber Yogurt:
Ingredients

2 green cucumbers:

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion

2 cups yogurt

½ teaspoons roasted cumin seeds (optional)

Garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or mint

Method
1. Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthways and remove the seeds.
2. Cut the cucumbers into small pieces, sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes, then drain away liquid and rinse the cucumbers quickly in cold water. Drain well.
3. Combine with onion, yogurt, lemon juice and taste to see if more salt is required.
4. Roast the cumin seeds in a dry pan, shaking pan or stirring constantly, until brown.
5. Bruise or crush seeds and sprinkle over yogurt.
6. Serve chilled, garnished with mint or coriander.

2. Palak Raita:
Ingredients

1 large bunch spinach 2 teaspoons ghee or oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 cups yogurt

Method
1. Wash spinach thoroughly in several changes of water.
2. Remove any tough stems and put the leaves into a saucepan with very little water.
3. Cover and steam over low heat until spinach is tender.
4. Drain and chop finely.
5. In a small pan heat ghee or oil and fry the mustard seeds until they start to pop.
6. Add cumin seeds, ground cumin and fenugreek seeds and continue to fry, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the fenugreek seeds are golden brown, but do not allow to burn. Remove from heat, stir in chili powder, if used, and salt and allow to cool.
7. Mix in the yogurt, then stir this mixture into the spinach.
8. Serve cold or at room temperature as a side dish with rice and curry or with one of the Indian breads.

3. Celery Raita:
Ingredients

celery sticks - 2

onion - 1 small

green chillies - 2

yoghurt (beaten) - 200 gms

salt to taste

For Seasoning: oil, mustard, cumin

Method
1. Finely chop celery and onion.
2. Cut chillies into 2 halves.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds.
4. Once mustard starts to splutter, add celery, onion and green chillies.
5. Fry for a couple of minutes and let it cool down.
6. Add this in yogurt with salt and mix well.
7. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

4. Mango Raita:
Ingredients

1 ripe mango

fresh curd (plain yogurt) -1000ml or 4 cups

condense milk - 200gms or 8 oz

crushed cashew - 1 table spoon

crushed almonds - 1 table spoon

crushed pistachio- 1 table spoon

cardamom powder- 2-3 pinch

Method
1. peel and cut Mango in small pieces.
2. Mix condense milk and curd ,beat till smooth.
3. Add crushed nuts and cardamom powder in this curd .
4. Add mango pieces in this mix.
5. If you feel its not sweet enough ,you may add some sugar .
6. Mix well and chill 1/2 an hour before serving.