
Pudine Ka Raita (Tandoori Home Cooking)
A chilled mint raita made from yoghurt blended with spring onion, ginger, mint and coriander, then finished with roasted cumin and salts. It tastes fresh and herbal, with a light tang and a warm cumin note.
Roasted cumin topping
2.1 gMixed with the salts for the topping (step 3)Everything else
Method
- Blend 150 g greek yoghurt, 30 g spring onion, 2 g ginger root, 30 g mint leaf, 10 g fresh coriander leaf and stem and 80 ml water to a smooth paste.
- Pour the blended raita into a serving bowl.
- Mix the roasted cumin topping with 2.6 g black salt and 0.3 g sea salt in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the mixture over the raita.
- Chill in the fridge until cold, then serve chilled.
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Greek yoghurt

Hung natural yoghurtUse the same weight and whisk smooth; same thick consistency.
Full-fat natural yoghurtUse 1.25 times the weight and strain through muslin for 30 minutes; looser if not strained.
Hung yogurtUse the same weight; virtually identical.

Spring onion

Spring onion greenUse the same weight; use only the green parts, so the dish loses some of the white onion base.
OnionUse 60% of the weight, finely sliced; stronger and sharper, so cook it down more.
ChiveUse the same weight; milder and best added late or as a garnish, not as a cooked base.

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.

Mint leaf

Mint leavesUse the same weight; identical herb, just the plural listing.
Dried mintUse 25% of the fresh weight, about 1 g dried for 4 g fresh; crush between fingers. Flavour is stronger and slightly hay-like.
Coriander leafUse the same weight; it gives a fresh green note but not true mint flavour.

Coriander leaves

Coriander (cilantro) or basilUse the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.
Basil leavesUse the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.
Coriander pasteUse 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

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.
Similar dishes

- Same: Both are chilled yoghurt-based preparations flavoured with cumin, ginger, coriander and salt, with yoghurt as the souring agent and fat base.
- Different: Mattha/Chaas adds water and green chilli and omits mint, spring onion and black salt, making it a thin whisked drink rather than a thick blended raita.

- Same: Shallot & Ginger Raita shares Greek yoghurt, mint, coriander, ginger, toasted cumin and salt with this dish, and both are served as a thick chilled raita.
- Different: Shallot & Ginger Raita uses 500 g Greek yoghurt, 80 g banana shallot, caster sugar and sea salt, while this dish uses 150 g Greek yoghurt, spring onion, black salt and much more mint and coriander; it has no shallot or sugar.

- Same: Burnt Onion Raita shares a thick Greek yoghurt base and salt with this dish.
- Different: Burnt Onion Raita uses blackened roasted shallots and caster sugar, while this dish blends in mint, coriander, spring onion, ginger, cumin and black salt.

- Same: Dahi Ke Kebab and this dish both use Greek yoghurt as the main base and include cumin seed, ginger, coriander and salt.
- Different: Dahi Ke Kebab adds paneer, breadcrumbs, chickpea flour, green chilli and garam masala and is pan-fried in oil, while this dish blends yoghurt with spring onion and mint and is served chilled without cooking.


















