Mango Raita.

My mom used to make Banana Raita which I used to love, however everyone is not a great fan of Bananas including my sons and my husband. I said why not use mango instead of Bananas and so I did. This was the result of my creation and everyone including my husband loved it. If you happened to be a banana lover, and mangoes are not in season, you can use the same recipe to make Banana raita.


This recipe yields 4-6 servings.




Ingredients:


* 2 cups of plain homemade (recipe on this blog) or plain Greek yogurt


* 1 ripe fiber less mango


* 2 table spoon of chopped cilantro leaves


* 2 tablespoon of chives finely chopped


* 1/2 chopped Serrano or 1/4 chopped Jalapeno pepper


* 1/2 inch of ginger grated or finely chopped


* 1/2 teaspoon of salt


* 1/8 teaspoon of black salt (optional)


* 1/4 teaspoon of roasted cumin powder


* 1/8 teaspoon of mustard seed ground


* 1/4 - 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder (to taste)


* Pinch of ground black pepper


* 1/4 cup of fresh red pomegranate seeds (if available, I did not use it this time)




Method:


* Whisk yogurt until smooth.


* Peel and Chop mango in to small cubes.


* Mix mango, yogurt, chopped cilantro leaves (save some for garnish), ginger, chives, chili peppers, salt and and all the spices.


* Toss well until everything is well incorporated.


* Garnish with remaining cilantro.


* If Pomegranate is in available, you can add 1/4 cup of fresh pomegranate seeds for extra crunch and garnish.


* Serve chilled with your favorite main dish.


* You can serve this as a dip or salsa with chips for appetizer.




Photographs and Recipe by Surekha.