Corn, Mango and Cucumber Raita
Serves 8
This is definitely one of my favorite summer raitas when green mangoes are plentiful. The tart mango is delicious with sweet summer corn, and the play of raisins and green chilies adds another level of taste. Crunchy peanuts complete the picture.
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed 250 mL
1 cup diced peeled green (unripened) 250 mL
mango (1⁄4-inch/0.5 cm dice)
1 cucumber, cut into 1
1⁄4-inch (0.5 cm) dice
1⁄4 cup raisins 50 mL
3⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped 175 mL
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic 2
1 piece peeled gingerroot, 1
1 inch (2.5 cm)
1 to 2 green chilies, preferably serranos 1 to 2
11⁄2 cups plain nonfat yogurt 375 mL
2 tsp black salt (kala namak) or 10 mL
salt to taste
1⁄2 tsp granulated sugar 2 mL
1 tbsp vegetable oil 15 mL
1 tsp mustard seeds 5 mL
2 to 3 green chilies, preferably serranos, 2 to 3
slivered
2 tsp slivered peeled gingerroot 10 mL
1⁄3 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped 75 mL
1. In a large bowl, combine corn, mango, cucumber, raisins and cilantro.
2. Dressing: In a blender or food processor, purée garlic, ginger and whole chilies with 2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 45 mL) water to make a smooth paste. Stir into yogurt. Add salt and sugar. Pour dressing into vegetable and fruit mixture. Mix well. Cover and chill for up to 3 hours.
3. Just before serving, in a small saucepan, heat oil over high heat until very hot. Add mustard seeds and cover immediately. When popping stops within a few seconds, reduce heat to medium and add slivered chilies and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Pour over raita. Stir in peanuts and serve.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Easy Indian Cooking, by Suneeta Vaswani, Robert Rose Inc., 2004. Photos by Mark T. Shapiro.
