Kheera Raita (Cucumber in Yogurt)

Raita is to Indian cooking as tsatsiki is to Greek cuisine—a traditional dip or side dish of yogurt and cucumbers, seasoned in this case with cumin and cayenne.

Dry-roasting the cumin seeds in a hot skillet lends an authentic roastiness to the flavor here, so don’t skip this step. After the seeds have cooled down, grind them coarsely (not to a powder) in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

This recipe, adapted from Eat Smart in India: A Travel Guide for Food Lovers, by Joan Peterson and Indu Menon (Gingko Press, 2004), is suitable as a soothing cold sauce with spicy Indian curries and other dishes. Or try it as a simple dip for the Indian flatbread called naan.