Raita
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 20 minutes steeping time
Cooking time: 5 minutes
- 75ml/2.6flozs mustard oil
-
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
-
2 Lebanese cucumbers, around 300g/10.6ozs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 500ml/1.1lbs Greek yoghurt
- 25ml/1floz lemon juice
- 8 fresh mint leaves (optional), sliced
- Salt and pepper to season
Step 1 - In a small pan, heat the mustard oil to 180C/350F and add the cumin seeds, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Place the saucepan in a metal bowl of ice cubes and water to hasten this process.
Step 2 -Grate the cucumber with a micro plane coarse grater. Combine the grated cucumber with salt and leave for 20 minutes. Drain the liquid and the squeeze the cucumber in a sieve or through a few paper towels to remove any leftover liquid. Add the strained cucumber and yogurt to a large bowl. Add the oil and cumin seeds and lemon juice. Add mint leaves if using. Season to taste