While grocery shopping the other day, I scoured the gourmet dip section. After grumbling about the mass amount of fat and calories in dips like artichoke and asiago or spinach, my eyes rested upon something new: low-fat raita. Unlike the other options, which would weigh you down with hundred of calories per 2 tbsp, this one has 20. Yes, just 20 calories per two tablespoons. I picked it up, all giddy and hoping that it would taste good, and be worthy of my beloved carrot sticks.
Oh, yes. Raita is basically a spicy tzatziki. (Slashfood last mentioned it in 2006.) It's yogurt mixed with vegetables, herbs, and spices -- usually, it's yogurt (curd) mixed with cucumber or onions, and seasoned with cilantro, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and more. The one I purchased (Fresh 2 Go) was cilantro raita -- made with the usual ingredients, plus sour cream.
The dip or sauce is often used to cut spicy Indian dishes, but it is excellent and spicy on its own. It's got the freshness of tzatziki with the bite of cilantro, which makes it a great and healthy addition to veggies, and offers much more flavor than its Greek counterpart. With summer just around the corner, this is an excellent and healthy addition to the chips and dip table. I'm still finishing off my container, so I haven't made any myself, but the recipes look simple enough (you can find some here and here). Anyone else out there love raita?
5-28-2008 @7:34PM Cheryl said... Love raita! At Indian restaurants I could make a meal of raita and rice (and maybe a little chutney)
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5-29-2008 @9:45AM alicia_allaire said... I eat Raita at indian restaurants along with the cuisine. I put it over my rice or meat. It's great!
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5-29-2008 @9:45AM Alicia said... I eat Raita in Indian restaurants along with the cuisine also. I put it over rice or my meat. It's awesome!
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5-30-2008 @9:06AM Zenbuakai said... Raita on freshwater shrimp biryani is the bizzomb. Actually it's good on anything. Dare I say raita > tsatziki? Though both are pretty fantastic.
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5-30-2008 @11:20PM AAdamsHSkl said... If you can find a copy of The Bengal Lancers Indian Cookbook (by Mohan Chablani and Brahm N. Dixit) you will find several tasty Raita recipies. Many, like the Cucumber Raita, are easy to make. The Onion Raita, although it has a lengthy ingredient list and requires a bit more preparation than most raitas, makes a spectacular party dip when made with drained yogurt.
Another good source for raita recipies are the books by Madhur Jaffrey. A good start would be her World of the East Vegetarian Cooking.
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