Two popular side dishes for a curry are a Raita - yoghurt, cucumber, and coriander - which is a lovely cooling dish especially served with a hot curry. And, Laccha, conversely, a spiced onion dish for a milder curry, though both work well with any spiced dish. I like them with crispy poppadoms as a starter dish.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- For the Raita
- 14 oz /400g cucumber – peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 large tomato – finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups/300ml thick plain yoghurt (fat-reduced)
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves – chopped
- For the Laccha
- 1 red onion – finely sliced into rings
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
- 2 tomatoes – thinly sliced
- 14 oz/400g cucumber – peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Preparation:
For the Raita:
- To make the Raita, put the cucumber and tomato in a sieve and suspend it over the mixing bowl for 30 minutes to drain off excess liquid.
- Discard the liquid. Combine the cucumber and tomato in the bowl with the yoghurt.
- Serve chilled and sprinkled with chopped coriander leaves.
- For the Laccha:
- To make the Laccha, mix the onion with the salt in the sieve and suspend over the mixing bowl for 15 minutes. Rinse the onion thoroughly with cold water, drain well and place it in the mixing bowl.
- Heat the frying pan and lightly roast the cumin seeds until they are aromatic. Allow to cool slightly.
- Grind the cumin seeds to a fine powder in the pestle and mortar. Add the cumin and chilli powder to the onion and mix.
- Layer the tomato, cucumber and onion in the serving dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.
