Cucumber Raita (Salad) with Dill & Mint

Raita is usually made with yogurt, mint and cucumber, all ingredients that are cooling to the body. Raita is often served cold as part of a festive Indian meal to help cut the heat in spicy dishes. The cucumber in this salad can be replaced with shredded carrots & raisins, chopped & blanched spinach, or a salsa of diced onions, tomatoes & green chilies. Unlike a salad which is eaten as a first course, Raita is eaten along with the different courses of an Indian meal.

Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers, or 1 large English cucumber
½ cup Greek or hung yogurt
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
½ tsp. roasted panch phoron powder (Bengali five-spice)

    or garam masala powder

Directions
1. Peel cucumbers, slice in half lengthwise and scrape seeds off with a teaspoon if using seeded cucumbers.
2. Cut cucumbers lengthwise in half again and chop into bite-size pieces.
3. Whisk yogurt to remove any lumps and mix well with all ingredients.
4. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.