Grape raita by Suvir Suran, co-executive chef of Devi restaurant, New York City. Photograph from the book Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Suran and Stephanie Lyness. IndianHomeCooking.com

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March 2005

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cheese-Butter-Yogurt

Famous Yogurt Dishes

Two of the world’s most famous yogurt dishes, tzatziki from Greece and raita from India, are cultures apart; yet remarkably similar. 

Raita is a side dish used as a cool counterpoint to spicy Indian dishes.  It is called a cold yogurt “salad” because it generally includes raw vegetables; but our Western perspective of a salad as a dish with at least some leafy greens would equate it to more of a sauce or condiment. It is a refreshing accompaniment to grilled meats—they don't have to be spicy. Greek cuisine uses tzatziki more broadly—as a sauce for meat and poultry, but also as a spread and dip.

• The recipes, incorporating yogurt, cucumber, and garlic, are almost identical but for the different national seasonings: dill and lemon juice from Greece, cumin and cayenne pepper from India. 
• In addition a dip for crudités, for a snack or hors d’oeuvre try toasted pita with tzatziki and crispy papadums with raita.

The recipes below use plain yogurt, which can be whole milk, lowfat or nonfat.  People with lactose intolerance should use buffalo milk yogurt or soy milk yogurt.

Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt, drained
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, dill, and lemon juice
• Add the chopped cucumbers; mix thoroughly
• Chill several hours to let the flavors mix; adjust seasonings as necessary

Variation

Add chopped onion and/or mint leaves to the tzatziki. For a spicy sauce, add crushed red pepper flakes.

Raita

Serving raita with grilled meats is a fresh departure from traditional condiments—and generally healthier too. Photo courtesy of the National Pork Board.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt, drained
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded
  and finely chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin seed*
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

*For best taste, toast cumin seed
over high heat in a small pan,
then crush and add to the mix.
Using pre-ground cumin will do
in a pinch, but, like using dried
parsley, will deprive you of the
burst of flavor of the freshly
toasted and crushed seed.

Directions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, cumin, and paprika
• Add the chopped cucumbers and tomatoes; mix thoroughly
• Chill several hours to let the flavors mix; adjust seasonings as necessary

Variation

• Instead of cucumber raita, make corn raita by substituting 1 cup of corn kernels for the cucumber and adding 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander.
• To serve with meat and poultry and other hearty fare, add heat with a hot green chile, seeded and finely chopped.

Unlike tzatziki, raita isn’t one basic recipe but a family of yogurt-based “salads”—some sweet, some savory. The recipe above is for cucumber raita with a corn raita variation; there are onion raitas, zucchini raitas, eggplant raitas, and mixed vegetable raitas.  On the sweet side there are coconut raitas, mango raitas, pineapple raitas, and the grape raita shown above. Create a raita with your own favorite ingredients. A fusion dish, e.g., would be to add chopped apples and nuts for a “Waldorf raita.”

Easy-to-make raitas and exciting appetizer-to-dessert recipes. beautifully photographed by Ben Fink, can be found in Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness, IndianHomeCooking.com.  Suvir Saran is executive chef of Devi restaurant at 8 East 18th Street in New York City, 212.691.1300.

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