Radish Yogurt Raita with Fresh Coconut and Fried Spices

By ABCDs of Cooking • May 20, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: Raita is a yogurt side dish. Usually it's made with cucumber, but this is a South Indian version I learned from my mother made with radish, coconut and fried spices. It's spicy and sweet and you can eat it with roti or flatbread, rice or just by itself. - ABCDs of Cooking

Serves 6

Main Ingredients

16 ounces plain yogurt
1 radish, grated large shred
1/2 plum tomato, chopped
3 tablespoons frozen fresh grated coconut
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
to taste salt

Tempering Spices

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
pinch asafoetida or hing
1 dried red chili
3 fresh curry leaves

Combine grated radish, tomato, grated coconut and yogurt into bowl.
In small pan, under medium high heat, place 2 tsps of oil.
When oil is hot, place asafoetida and mustard seed and shake the pan up and cover.
When mustard seeds start popping turn the heat down to low and place the curry leaf and broken up red chili (be careful to not burn yourself).
Mix everything with a spoon until coated with oil and the curry leaf is crunchy but not burned.
Pour this oil mixture onto the yogurt. (To get all of the oil out, I usually put a spoon or two of the yogurt into the oil pan and pour it back in with the rest of the yogurt.)
Put salt and mix thoroughly.
Garnish with cilantro.