A Curry Odyssey Episode 5: Raita

The Great Curry Odyssey Continues!

To go with the Lamb Korma, I also made fresh raita and roti breads. The raita was just so, so easy, and came out absolutely perfectly. A little planning is all that's required to make this tasty addition to your curry platter.

Fresh Raita

(Serves 4)
Start with a whole cucumber and a sharp knife.
Peel and slice the cucumber lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and discard. Chop into roughly 5mm pieces.
Toss the cucumber pieces in a sieve with a generous amount of salt and leave to drain over a bowl or the sink. Rest for a good couple of hours. The salt draws out the bulk of the cucumber's bitter moisture.

When you're ready to finish it off, say, an hour before your curry will be ready and you have to make the rotis, rinse the cucumber off and pat dry with a paper towel.
In a bowl, mix up the cucumber with 1 Cup of natural yoghurt, 1/4 Cup of fresh chopped mint, 1t sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Leave in the fridge until you're about to dish up.

Take the raita from the fridge and very quickly blitz, either with a hand blender or in a food processor. Dish up in big cold dollops beside your hot curry and roti.

The cucumber will quickly break down after you have processed it, so either freeze it soon after or make sure you eat it all right then. After all, it's probably the healthiest thing on the plate!

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