RECIPE: Cucumber Raita

For the past two months I've been preparing meals for our farmers once a week.  (You can see a description of the meals I've prepared HERE.)  Last week I made an Indian meal and they requested some of the recipes.  Here is the first one, for a condiment made with yogurt and cucumbers.  In larger quantities, it can be eaten as a light meal.  I'll publish the other recipes later.

The recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey's excellent book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking.

Cucumber Raita

Makes 3 cups

2 cups yogurt
5-6 small seedless cucumbers (if you use larger cucumbers, remove the seeds first)
1/2 t. ground roasted cumin seeds (I used much less, maybe 1/8 t.)
1/8 t. paprika
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper (I didn't use this)
1 t. salt

Whip yogurt to combine the whey with the curd.

Peel and grate the cucumbers.  You should have 1 cup.

Mix all together, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.