Raita is an Indian yogurt-based sauce. It is refreshing, cooling, and adds a bright contrast to rich and spicy food. Typical flavorings and ingredients added to Raita are herbs and spices, fruit, or vegetables. Cucumber, mint, and garlic are very common additions.
For a variation with some natural heat, we've used shredded, freshly harvested radishes and kohlrabi giving the sauce a nice crisp texture.
3 red radishes, washed and trimmed
3 icicle radishes, washed and trimmed (use 3 extra red radishes if you cannot find icicle radishes)
1 Kohlrabi, washed, trimmed and peeled
1 clove garlic, minced (if you have garlic scapes, add a tablespoon or so, chopped, to the yogurt)
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Sea Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon, something fine grained to dissolve easily, such as French Grey (Celtic) or Himalayan Pink
Freshly ground black pepper
Shred the radishes and kohlrabi using a fine to medium-sized grater. You may use either a hand grater, a food processor, or a mouli julienne.
Place the yogurt in a medium bowl and add the shredded vegetables. Season with sea salt and pepper and mix well with a fork.
Serve with chicken (cold chicken breasts are nice), seafood, on a baked potato, or atop rice or other grains.
Recipe and Photograph Copyright Deirdre Davis 2016
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