My Food Story: ‘Kheere ka Raita’ is all about the magic of the hills

Kheere ka Raita is pure comfort for me. Growing up in Almora, every road trip home meant a stop at a dhaba in Garam Pani, where my sisters and I would dig into a chilled bowl of pahadi kheera raita. We never had it plain, always with kaale chane, aloo ke gutke, or pakodas. That combo felt like the hills hugging us home.

Even today, when I make it the same simple pahadi way, one spoonful takes me back to those carefree trips with my sisters.

Pahadi Kheere ka Raita (Pahadi Cucumber Yogurt Side)

Ingredients

Cucumber (Pahadi kheera)

Thick homemade curd (Dahi)

Crushed mustard seeds (Rye)

Cumin powder

Turmeric

Salt

Red chilli powder

Chopped green chillies

Green chilli

Coriander leaves

Fresh pomegranate (Anar)

Method

Peel and grate one pahadi cucumber, squeeze out the extra water, and mix it with a cup of homemade curd. Add cumin powder, a pinch of turmeric, salt, red chilli, and some chopped green chilli. On a sil-batta, crush mustard seeds with a green chilli into a sharp, fragrant paste and stir it in. Finish with chopped coriander and fresh pomegranate seeds on top. Chill and serve with rice or puris.

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest.

Deepika Bisht is an ecologist from Uttarakhand