CHUKANDAR KHEERE KA RAITA COOLING BEETROOT AND CUCUMBER YOGHURT

Pretty in pink, this gently spiced and soothing yoghurt provides a feast of colour and a robust antidote to spicy food. I barely remember a meal in my childhood without raita, thanks to the dairy-loving north Indian side of my family. This recipe uses ready-pickled beetroot to save time and effort – the grated packs in supermarkets do nicely and will save your fingers from the inevitable pink stains. If you have pomegranate seeds, scatter them over as garnish. And if you don’t have black salt, you could use Himalayan pink salt or sea salt.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Prepare the yoghurt by loosening it with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a shallow bowl or serving dish. Add the pinch of salt.

Step 2

Grate the beetroot and cucumber (unless your pickled beetroot is ready-grated) and stir them both into the yoghurt. If you want a patterned effect rather than a vibrant pink, just swirl the beetroot instead of mixing it through fully. Stir half the dill through the raita, reserving the rest to garnish.

Step 3

Place the raita in the fridge while you prepare your garnish. Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan for 20 seconds over a medium heat until fragrant and warm. Then tip into a pestle and mortar and crush finely.

Step 4

Dust the ground cumin over your raita, along with the chilli powder and black salt. Sprinkle over the remaining dill and serve chilled.

Step 5

Instead of beetroot, cucumber and dill, add a 400g tin of rinsed and drained chickpeas to the yoghurt and a handful each of chopped mint and coriander leaves.

Step 6

Chop 1 large tomato, ¼ cucumber and 1 small onion into small pieces and stir into the yoghurt without adding any water to loosen it. Chop a small handful of coriander, stir half of it through the raita and scatter the other half over the top.