Cucumber Raita Recipe (2024)

As an Indian, I know that the trade-mark Raita taste comes from ‘vagurney’. Vagurney is mustard seeds and cumin seeds fried in oil for about 45 seconds. Put the mustard seeds in 15 sec. before the cumin.

Used 1 c fa*ge yogurt, 1/4 c sour cream, 1tbsp minced garlic, 1tbsp chopped dill, 1/2 Tbsp chopped mint, dash EVOO, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, 2 tsp Garam masala and 1whole deseeded and diced cucumber. Lovely w grilled tandoori chicken and potato spinach patties

As an Indian, I tell you, garam masala, cayenne and chile are not authentic in this recipe which is a "cooler" to offset the hot spices in the rest of the meal. What is essential, on the other hand, is freshly toasted cumin seeds, crushed in a coffee or spice grinder. Add the salt just before serving so it does not liquefy the raita and grating the cucumber (rather than dicing it) really improves the flavor.

I also added some lemon juice. Letting it refrigerate for a couple hours was helpful. I've tried several raita recipes over the years and this is the best one I've found.

I make it with chopped Italian tomatoes and also add honey. It it better the next day, when the flavors have really melded.

In North Indian raita, cumin seeds - dry roasted and powdered - are an essential ingredient. I would add a 1/4 tsp to this recipe. Also, a pinch of kala namak (Himalayan rock salt) will take it up several notches.

Notes one does not toast the seeds,you may ( not a a necessity) dry roast the cumin seeds just till darker and full of aroma. Use a ratio of mustard seeds to cumin seed @ 2:1. In 1 cup of yogurt,use 2teaspoons of mustard and 1 teaspoon of cumins. Crush! The garam masala has NO place in Raita. Chopped cilantro and a small handful of raisins do add to taste. Plain yogurt works better. Marinate for half hour at room temp to achieve zinger. Raita =Rai or mustard which is main component. Good luck

I like a lower ratio of cucumber to yogurt, so i only used half a cucumber. The garam masala has some cumin, but not enough for my taste so I added some extra crushed cumin seeds.

This raita is not really raita and more like tzatziki with Indian flavoring, it is too thick to be a real raita

Phenomenal. Salted the cukes after chopping. Followed the recommendation to toast some mustard and cumin seeds, then lightly crush and add to yogurt and cukes. No garlic or citrus needed. Best Raita ever.

Phenomenal. Salted chopped cukes. Followed recommendation to toast some cumin and mustard seed and lightly crush before adding to yogurt and cukes. No garlic or citrus needed.

I have not yet tried this one, but when I do I plan to use Labneh and the mustard/cumin combo. The salt to dehydrate the cucumbers is also in my opinion a good idea. I also like lemon in yogurt/labneh. The issue is always the liquid. I will try adding lemon zest instead. I welcome replies from others. 😊

Nooo don't drain the cucumber juice in the sink. Drain it into a bowl, then drink for a healthy shot or mix into a co*cktail :)

OK I was in a hurry and just used this as a reference - cucumber chopped, 1/2 cup yoghurt (Strauss full fat), salt, harissa, chopped cilantro - it was quite good! If/when I have time I will try the draining etc...

Add toasted 1/4 t cumin seed!

The recipe is different but very good. I like my food spicy and went overboard with my home cultivated, dried and ground cayenne. Added a little lemon juice to balance it out. For me this recipe is a keeper, to include a few suggestions from notes. That you one and all.

This was too salty, which was my fault for over salting the cucumbers. We also found that the garam masala gave it a weird aftertaste, and we like garam masala in many dishes. Also, the cayenne did not add to the “refreshing” nature of the dish. I will not make this again.

This should be the new sauce for anything middle eastern. Not nearly as hard to make and great flavor.

Notes one does not toast the seeds,you may ( not a a necessity) dry roast the cumin seeds just till darker and full of aroma. Use a ratio of mustard seeds to cumin seed @ 2:1. In 1 cup of yogurt,use 2teaspoons of mustard and 1 teaspoon of cumins. Crush! The garam masala has NO place in Raita. Chopped cilantro and a small handful of raisins do add to taste. Plain yogurt works better. Marinate for half hour at room temp to achieve zinger. Raita =Rai or mustard which is main component. Good luck

This is a delightful recipe, albeit not truly authentic. I made it vegan using soy milk yogurt and a bit extra salt.

I followed the recipe as close as possible and it was really good. Didn’t have any fresh chile.

Added a finely chopped green onion and chopped parsley. Put in a bit too much red pepper. Makes a nice change to my usual cuke in dressing.

Comes together easily with ingredients I know and often have on hand. We love Raina, cucumbers and yogurt in general -So, for me this is a Great addition to my Go-To’s. I followed proportions first time and we liked it as is. Yes I would try some additions .as others noted. For Raita lovers , this one is quite good.