
Green Apple and Fennel Raita
A chilled Indian yogurt side made with sweet-tart grated green apple, crushed cumin and fennel, ginger and a little sugar. It tastes cooling, lightly sweet and aromatic.
Raita spices
3.1 gMixed into the thinned yogurt with ginger, sugar and salt (step 2)Everything else
Method
- Put 517 g yogurt in a mixing bowl and stir in a couple tablespoons water until slightly thinned.
- Add the raita spices (1.1 g cumin seed and 2 g fennel seed), 6 g fresh ginger, 12.6 g granulated sugar and salt to taste to the yogurt; mix well.
- Grate 150 g granny smith apple coarsely just before adding it.
- Fold the apple through the raita and serve chilled.
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Yogurt

Plain yogurtUse 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single creamUse 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Cumin seed

Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Fennel seed

AniseedUse 75% of the weight. Fry in hot oil or ghee; has a sharper, more pronounced liquorice flavour, so use a lighter hand.
Ground fennel seedUse 60% of the weight. Stir into the sauce with ground masalas; provides identical sweet aniseed flavour without whole seed crunch.
Star aniseUse one point (single carpel) per 1 g of fennel seeds. Simmer in gravies and remove before serving; gives a deeper, woodier liquorice aroma.

Fresh ginger

Ginger pasteUse equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.
Ground gingerUse 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Granulated sugar

JaggeryUse equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Green apple

AppleUse the same weight, peeled and diced; slightly less tart.
PearUse the same weight, firm and diced; softer and sweeter.
Raw green mangoUse the same weight, peeled and diced; much more sour, so adjust sugar.
Similar dishes

- Same: Mattha/Chaas shares with this dish a chilled yogurt base seasoned with cumin and fresh ginger and salted to taste.
- Different: Mattha/Chaas is a thinned drinking yogurt made with Greek yogurt and water, plus green bird's-eye chilli and coriander, while this dish lacks water, chilli and coriander and instead contains grated green apple, fennel seed and sugar.

- Same: Both are chilled salted yogurt raitas seasoned with cumin and a little sugar.
- Different: Mirch Tadkewalli Dahi adds water, a mustard-oil tempering of black mustard seeds and dried Kashmiri chillies, and lacks this dish's grated green apple, fennel seed and ginger.

- Same: Meethi Lassi shares with this dish a chilled yogurt base, 517 g yogurt, and added sugar.
- Different: Meethi Lassi is a drink thinned with 795 g water and flavored with cardamom, rosewater, and saffron, while this dish is a spoonable raita with grated green apple, fennel, cumin, ginger, and salt.

- Same: Pineapple Raita shares a chilled yogurt base, sugar, and crushed cumin with this dish.
- Different: Pineapple Raita uses canned pineapple chunks instead of grated green apple, adds black peppercorn and coriander leaves, and lacks fennel seed, ginger, and salt.













