Zucchini Raitha

Zucchini Raitha

This raita is a lovely change from the more common cucumber raita. Madhur Jaffrey, the recipe author, writes in Eastern Vegetarian Cooking that she can eat it by the spoonful, all by herself. It can also be served warm, however, I've only tried it cold. Madhur Jaffrey calls this dish yogurt with courgettes, but I think it is a dish that we usually refer to as raitha.

2 medium zucchini (about 12-14 oz, 340-400g)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion
350 ml plain yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/16 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use as much as you like)

Directions:

1
Trim zucchini and grate them coarsley. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to mix and set aside for half an hour.
2
Drain zucchini and press out as much liquid as you can. Separate the shreds so you do not have lumps.
3
Peel the onion, cut in half lenghtwise, and then cut into fine, half-moon-shaped slices.
4
Put yogurt in bowl. Beat it lightly with a fork or whisk until smooth and creamy.
5
Heat oil in a 8-in/20-cm frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop (just a matter of seconds), put in the onion. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes or until slices are translucent. Add the zucchini. Stir and fry for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let zucchini cool slightly. When cooled, fold it into the yogurt. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, pepper and cayenne.
6
If you wish the to eat the dish cold, cover and refrigerate it.
7
If you wish to eat it warm, put the yogurt-zucchini combination in a double boiler over a low flame. Then heat, stirring in one direction, until warm. Do not let it boil. I used it as sidedish for my Veg kichidi