The recipe section is now long overdue. And the first on the rack is my very own raita. I think the one person who showed the most appreciation for this raita was Marjan. She liked this raita so much, we were making it every other day at home. It's simple to make, takes only 5 minutes to prepare, can be had as an appetizer or with spicy biryani. And as Marjan said it's refreshing!

Ingredients

• 1 cup curd (yogurt) (preferably 2% or 3%)


• 1/2 cup milk


• 1/2 cup water


• 1 very small red onion


• 1 medium tomato


• 3" long piece of cucumber


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tsp sugar

Preparation

• Remove the pulp/seeds from the tomato and cucumber


• Chop the onion, tomato and cucumber as fine as possible


• Slowly beat the curd, milk, water, salt and sugar till smooth


• Mix the chopped onion, tomato and cucumber into the curd


• Leave in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or start with cold ingredients)

The way I make it keeps it free of any spices, and it's pure delight after a long day at work. The raita will stay fresh for a day if kept covered in the refrigerator. You can modify the salt and sugar ratio by trial and error, but remember that using too much of either will greatly alter the flavour - we need to have just the right balance of salt and sugar to get that refreshing taste.

Cheers
Mayur Poddar