This Indian inspired yoghurt dip (raita) complements bold, spicy flavored dishes like the Indian inspired meat patties or cutlets.  I visited India three times for four of my developers' weddings.  The first time was complete culture shock and my husband and I were so apprehensive to walk the busy streets of kolkata.  The last time I visited, I went alone, stayed for over a month, stayed in the homes of my developers and learned how to cook from the wedding catering chefs! I would explore the village by myself, causing my developers' families much stress regarding my wearabouts!  They then decided to let me go wandering with the kids and I learned to really enjoy my new found friends and their amazing culture.

Yoghurt dip (raita) or curd is served with hot, spicy dishes. Yoghurt or any dairy neutralizes the heat and spiciness of a dish.  Most traditional raita recipes include some traditional Indian spices like ground cumin, coriander or garam masala.  

The main ingredient is plain yoghurt.  For this recipe, the yoghurt dip is a neutralizing agent and provides the creaminess, crunch and tang to the dish.  It is great when served with the Indian inspired meat cutlets.

Tips for making Indian inspired yoghurt dip (raita)

Yoghurt.

For this dip, use Greek yoghurt and preferably 5%.  Greek yoghurt is very thick so it tends to hold up better rather than end up being a dripping sauce.  I like using a 5% fat yoghurt which is thick, rich and creamy.  This is a nice complement to the spiciness of the meat patties.

Vegetables.

The only vegetables I add to this dip is chopped red onion and chopped Persian, Japanese, English or hot house cucumber.  I use chopped red onion for color and crunch.  The cucumber provides additional crunch.  Regular cucumbers tend to be less crunchy. However, if those are the only ones on hand, you can use them without the mushy seeds!

Seasoning.

The salt not only brings out the flavor of the onion and cucumber, but also crisps these vegetables.  Add the salt to the diced onion and cucumber to extract the juice from the vegetables.  Once some of the juice has been extracted, blend it with the yoghurt.  This allows the yoghurt to remain thick rather than diluting the raita into a liquid.