Sesame Raita
Sesame raita is a thick, creamy yoghurt dip flavoured with tahini and garlic. It tastes nutty, tangy and savoury, balanced with a little sweetness and salt.
Garlic paste
50 gWhisked into the drained yoghurt with the tahini (step 2)Everything else
Method
- Turn 500 g greek yoghurt into a muslin-lined sieve set over a bowl, gather the cloth and tie it, then hang it over the bowl for 1 hour to drain. Do not stir or disturb the yoghurt while it drains.
- Empty the drained yoghurt into a bowl and whisk in 200 g tahini paste and the garlic paste until smooth.
- Season to taste with caster sugar and sea salt, whisking briefly, then taste and adjust.
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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.
Sesame seedFor 100 g tahini, grind 100 g toasted sesame seed with 10–15 g sesame oil until pourable. Fresher, coarser texture.
Peanut pasteUse the same weight; stronger peanut flavour. Loosen with a little oil if thick.
Cashew nut pasteUse the same weight; milder and thicker. Thin with oil or water and add a little sesame oil for aroma.
GarlicUse equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.
Garlic powderUse 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.
Granulated sugarUse the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.
Demerara sugarUse the same weight, but dissolve it earlier as it is coarser. It adds a light caramel note and a little colour.
Ground jaggery or soft brown sugarUse the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.
Similar dishes
- Same: Burnt Onion Raita and this dish are both thick Greek yoghurt relishes seasoned with caster sugar and sea salt.
- Different: Burnt Onion Raita uses 1000 g shallots roasted until blackened and ground into the yoghurt, while this dish uses tahini paste and garlic paste instead and has no shallots.
- Same: Shrikhand and this dish are both cold, thick Greek-yoghurt preparations.
- Different: Shrikhand uses saffron, green cardamom, caster sugar, pistachio and pomegranate seeds, and it lacks this dish’s tahini and garlic paste.
- Same: Shallot & Ginger Raita shares a base of 500 g Greek yoghurt with this dish, and both are seasoned with caster sugar and sea salt as a thick yoghurt raita.
- Different: Shallot & Ginger Raita adds 80 g banana shallot, fresh ginger root, mint, coriander leaves and toasted cumin seed, while it lacks this dish's 200 g tahini paste and 50 g garlic paste.
- Same: Mattha/Chaas shares Greek yoghurt as its base with this dish.
- Different: Mattha/Chaas adds water, cumin seed, green chilli, fresh ginger and coriander, and it lacks tahini and garlic, so it is a thin drink rather than a thick dip.