Cucumber Raita or Kheere Ka Raita is a creamy side dish made using grated cucumber, yogurt, and a few spices. It is a great accompaniment with spicy Indian meals and has many health benefits. Here is how to make it.
Looking for more Raita recipes, that can be served with your everyday meals – Aloo Raita, Kaddu Ka Raita, Burani Raita, Carrot Raita, and Mango Raita.
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About This Recipe
Cucumber Raita is a perfect side dish made up of smooth yogurt mixed with grated cucumber and infused with some spices to compliment all your favorite meals.
It is an exceptionally quick, easy, and hassle-free recipe which can be prepared by mixing a few readily available ingredients at home and also makes any simple meal interesting.
Also, both Cucumber and Curd are considered great to beat the scorching heat, and therefore it is a must to serve along with your everyday Summer meals. Its cooling and refreshing properties are a perfect cooler to beat the heat.
Summers are the perfect time to relish this delicious side dish to enjoy the amazing health benefits it provides.
There are multiple variations of Kheere Ka Raita as some people prefer the only cucumber and some prefer a mix of cucumber, onion, tomatoes, pomegranate, and other fruits and vegetables being mixed up with some yogurt and spices.
This raita is,
- Refreshing
- Healthy
- Quick & Easy
- Perfect for everyday meals
- Loaded with cooling properties
Ingredients
Yogurt – You can use fresh homemade yogurt or store-bought one. Just taste the yogurt before making the Raita if it’s sour or not.
Milk – To thin the yogurt a bit, we will add a little milk. You can even add water instead of milk to thin it out.
Cucumber – Cucumber is peeled and then grated to add in the Raita. Cucumber adds a delicious taste along with texture in the raita.
Mint & Coriander Leaves – Do not miss on these finely chopped leaves, it adds a refreshing taste to the Raita.
Green Chillies – This is optional, but I love the hint of spiciness green chillies add to this raita.
Salt and Cumin Powder – Add in some more flavour, and add in black salt and roasted cumin powder. You can even add regular salt or pink salt in the Raita.
You can also add in a little Chaat Masala, for an added flavor.
Step by Step Recipe
Whisk yogurt until smooth and creamy.
Add milk and whisk well.
Add cucumber, mint, roasted cumin powder and black salt and mix well.
Refrigerate the raita for a few hours. Serve chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you use full-fat strained yogurt to prepare this raita then it gets converted into a cucumber dip and goes really well with some spicy and tangy tandoori chicken bites, stir-fried vegetables and various other starters.
Tzatziki is a dip which originated in Greece and is made up of salted strained yogurt mixed with cucumber, garlic, salt, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and herbs like dill, mint, parsley or thyme whereas cucumber raita is popular throughout India and is generally made from non-strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, coriander, and mint leaves, flavored with some cumin seed powder and finely chopped green chilies.
To make it with a tadka, heat some oil in a pan (preferably ghee) and add some cumin seeds, mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, and some curry leaves.
Roast them lightly on a medium flame and pour the tadka over the raita after cooling it for some time and your cucumber raita with a tadka will be ready. You can also add urad dal and chana dal in the tadka for a nice crunch.
For a vegan version, you can use plain and unsweetened dairy-free yogurt or any plant-based yogurt. To add some creaminess, you can even add vegan sour cream in the same.
Serving Suggestions
This raita goes really well with all sorts of Indian curries like dhansak, tikka masala, saag, korma, jalfrezi, vindaloo, etc.
Biryani and starters like tandoori chicken are the most popular dishes people love to have with this raita.
The cooling properties of the raita help us to beat the spicy heat of our accompanied meals.
You can also serve it with your Stuffed Parathas or even along with Theplas. It even tastes great with Pulao and Khichdi.
Health Benefits
Cucumber Raita is a gluten-free, fiber-rich, and a low carb side dish that acts as an aid for digestion and weight loss.
The yogurt that we use to prepare raita has a good amount of iodine, calcium, and phosphorus and also contains live bacterial cultures such as lactobacillus casei which helps in strengthening the immune system of the body.
Moreover, cucumbers are a very good source of vitamin C and caffeic acid, both of which prevent water retention.
Storage Suggestions
This raita will remain absolutely fresh for about 10-12 hours in a refrigerator.
Do not freeze this raita as the texture of yogurt will change and it will not taste good.
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Recipe Card
Cucumber Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yogurt
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ cup Cucumber (Peeled and grated.)
- 2 tbsp Mint Leaves (Chopped)
- ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- Black Salt (To taste.)
- 1 tsp Green Chilli (Finely Chopped)
- 1 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
Instructions
- Whisk yogurt until smooth and creamy.
- Add milk and whisk well.
- Add cucumber, mint, roasted cumin powder and black salt and mix well
- Refrigerate the raita for a few hours.
- Serve chilled.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!