Kachumber Raita (Easy Cucumber Raita Recipe)

This is a kachumber salad ratia that is excellent to pair with your curries or even as a dip with your breads. It is quick to whip up together and packed full of nutrients with the use of different herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Raita is great for your gut health, so if you’re looking to improve that end of things, you are in the right place.

Why this recipe is a star?

• Easy recipe: This is a super easy raita recipe that you can whip up in a matter of 10 minutes or so. This recipe is just a case of chopping up some veggies, adding some yoghurt with spices and mixing in well. You then have a perfect side to go with your rice, paratha and curries (or even as a dip).
• Good for you: Do not underestimate the ability of Indian food to be excellent for your gut health. This dish in particular is full of probiotics and healthy bacteria.

For other dips, take a look at my tomato chutney recipe or my mint chutney recipe here (with paneer pakoras).

This will also pair excellently with either my butter chicken or my lamb chops curry. 

What is raita?

Raita is simply a yoghurt mix or dip containing spices and sometimes vegetables. For example, raita could contain cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green chillies and celery (basically almost any salad vegetable that you can think of).

If you haven’t had raita before, think of it as tzatzikis distant cousin.

The spices used in raita are usually turmeric, cumin and chilli powder.

Raita acts as an excellent means to balance out any rich meal (almost in the same way that a salad will), including curries and biriyanis.

Raita history?

The term Raita originates from the Sanskrit term “rajika” (meaning black mustard) and “tiktaka” (meaning spicy).

The benefits of raita and specifically yoghurt are referred to throughout ancient Indian literature, primarily for its digestive attributes, meaning the origins of raita can be traced back as far as the first millennium BCE.

Indian ayurvedic literature and ayurvedic medicine places emphasis on achieving harmony throughout the different elements of your meal by combining ingredients that work together.

This is evidenced in the fact that the spices and vegetables (containing prebiotics) act as fertilizer of the probiotics in the yoghurt, creating the ultimate gut health side dish!

How to make kachumber / kachumber meaning?

Pronounced Kach-um-bar.

While this is a classic raita recipe, it incorporates the classic Indian kachumber salad.

Kachumber literally just means a chopped salad, containing cucumber, coriander, tomatoes, onions and more.

You make kachumber by chopping up cucumber, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and combining them with turmeric, cumin powder, chilli powder, lemon juice and a little salt.

My recipe is essentially a kachumber salad with yoghurt!

How to make cucumber raita?

As per the above, you combine all of those ingredients (listed above) with some yoghurt and spices! Full recipe in my recipe card below.

Kachumber raita ingredients?

1. Yoghurt: You can use Greek style yoghurt or plain yoghurt. If you are vegan or non-dairy, then you can use a vegan plain yoghurt.
2. Spices: You are going to use a half tsp of turmeric powder, chilli powder (or Kashmiri chilli powder, for less heat) and cumin powder.
3. Other seasonings (optional): You can either use garlic powder or onion powder (or the salt versions of either of those), or alternatively you can use freshly chopped garlic. I would highly recommend using these powders as this adds a delicious dimension of flavour to your raita.
4. Vegetables / fruits: Half of a cucumber, a few cherry tomatoes (or salad tomatoes) and one whole red onion.
5. Herbs: A handful of chopped coriander and dill. The dill is optional, but it is my favorite herb and so I really could not resist adding it in.
6. The juice of half of a lemon: If you don’t take a liking to sour foods, you can use less lemon or lime juice.
7. Extra virgin olive oil: This is optional, but this is a great addition and also another source of probiotics.

Expert tips + variations

Moisture: Draw out the moisture and water of the cucumber before you make your raita. This will stop it from becoming a thin mixture.

My recipe below recommends adding salt to the ingredients, allowing the moisture to draw out and then rinsing.

Variations: Don’t forget that you’re so not limited by the salad ingredients that I have used. You can experiment with other ingredients like cabbage, spinach or spring onions. You could also hone in on one ingredient and focus on making either a tomato kachumber raita or an onion kachumber raita, for example.