Cucumber Raita | Vellarikkai Thayir Pachadi
A simple Tamil Nadu-style cucumber raita with freshly ground coconut paste and a flavorful mustard seed tempering. Ready in under 30 minutes!
Servings: 4
Calories: 103kcal
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- 250 grams of cucumber about 3 small ones
- ½ cup yogurt
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cilantro optional but recommended
To Grind:
- ⅓ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
- 1 green chili
For Tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal
- ½ tsp chana dal
- ¼ tsp asafoetida hing
- 5 curry leaves
Instructions
- Peel and grate the cucumber. It will ooze out water and don't discard the water cucumber water;
- In a mixing bowl, combine the grated cucumber, yogurt, and salt. Mix well.
- Grind the coconut and green chili with ¼ to ⅓ cup of water (you can also use the cucumber water here) into a smooth or slightly coarse paste. Add this to the cucumber-yogurt mixture and stir to combine.
- Heat oil in a small tadka pan. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. When they start to splutter, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the raita and mix well. Taste and adjust salt.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately or chill for 15–20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Always taste a small piece of cucumber before grating — a bitter cucumber will ruin the raita.
- Don't discard the water that releases when grating the cucumber — it has all the goodness. You can use it while grinding the coconut paste, though I didn't use it in this recipe; I added the coconut directly to the yogurt and used water for grinding the coconut masala.
- Add the tempering just before serving if you're making this ahead.
- Adjust the salt and spice to taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg