Here’s a delicious accompaniment for vegetable biryani that’s on our menu almost every week: a fresh, green, and traditional vegan Cucumber Raita that will blow your mind. I make this raita with my delicious homemade cashew yogurt. It’s probiotic and so economical to make. If you have an Instant Pot, you can make a foolproof Instant Pot yogurt that comes out perfect each time. The role of raita on an Indian food plate is a bit of an oxymoron: on the one hand its mild, creamy, clean flavor brings out and highlights the spicy notes of foods like biryanis, parathas and curries. On the other hand, its gentle flavors provide a great counterpoint to all that spiciness. But you don’t need to save this recipe just for those times you cook Indian food. It can be a great dip for spicy chips, or a wonderful drizzle for vegan sweet potato skins. The yogurt base can be a great salad dressing: in fact, it rather is one, because a raita is just a very overdressed salad. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
The raita you are most likely to encounter on Indian restaurant menus is a cucumber raita, although in my childhood home, the one my parents most often made was a version with finely chopped tomatoes and raw onions, like this kachumber. I sometimes throw zucchini into my vegan raita, or grated green peppers, and sometimes I add boondi, savory golden beads of chickpea flour.
More yogurt based recipes
Recipe card
