Cucumber Raita

This cooling yogurt sauce complements spicy dishes. Mint and lemon make it a great vegetable dip or a topping for roasted vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 small cucumber, grated (heaping ½ cup)

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 garlic clove, minced or paste

½ lemon zested and juiced (1 tsp zest and 1 Tbsp juice), starting with 1 tsp juice, plus more to taste

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup cilantro, minced

¼ cup mint, minced

¼ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste

Equipment:

  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Bowl
  • Box grater
  • Strainer
  • Wooden spatula or spoon
  • Zester
  • Juicer
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

1 small cucumber, grated (heaping ½ cup)

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 garlic clove, minced or paste

½ lemon zested and juiced (1 tsp zest and 1 Tbsp juice), starting with 1 tsp juice, plus more to taste

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup cilantro, minced

¼ cup mint, minced

¼ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste

Equipment:

  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Bowl
  • Box grater
  • Strainer
  • Wooden spatula or spoon
  • Zester
  • Juicer
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Directions:

We recommend pairing this with Indian Lentils & Kale or Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili!

  1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment. Wash the produce and prepare it as detailed in the ingredients list.
  2. Place the cucumber in a strainer, sprinkle with salt, and toss together. Set the strainer over a bowl to drain for about 10 minutes. This helps remove excess water, keeping your sauce creamy.
  3. In another bowl, while the cucumber drains, combine the garlic with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Let it stand for a few minutes to macerate, which removes the sharpness of raw garlic and makes a smoother flavor.
  4. With your hands or a kitchen towel, firmly squeeze out any remaining liquid from the cucumbers, then add them to the bowl with the garlic and lemon juice. Stir in the lemon zest, yogurt, cilantro, mint and black pepper. Taste, adjust and enjoy!

Produce 101:

Cucumbers

Garlic

Mint