Creating Balance with food: Cooling Raita

Where there is heat there should always be something cooling.  The Chinese believe in Yin and Yang and in Ayurveda we believe in the same principle.  So we always try to serve cooling dishes to accompany flavourful dishes that use different spices.  Some of the spices we use also have anti-inflammatory properties and you can find information on that in my post the benefits of spices.

This raita is incredibly simple.  Using Yogurt and Cucumber, it combines two incredibly cooling ingredients.  I like to use mini-cucumbers which you can get in out supermarkets as they are sweeter and less watery.  Try not to substitute for the fresh coriander for dried – the taste won’t be the same.

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten free.

Ingredients

200g Plain or Greek-Style yogurt

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder

Pinch of salt to taste

Handful of Fresh Coriander

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and stir well.  Garnish with a few pieces of fresh coriander to serve.

You can use this as a dip with crudités or to accompany any of the Healthy Indian recipes on my blog.