Cucumber Raita

Standard issue yogurt condiment here. I like eating it plain although it's nice with spicy food. Something about the yogurt helps cool down spicy food. This recipe is from Mangoes & Curry Leaves Culinary Travels Through The Great Subcontinent.

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 of a peeled English cucumber (1 cup chopped)
Salt
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup coriander leaves or 2 tablespoons mint leaves
Black Pepper

Line a sieve with cheesecloth. Place sieve over a bowl and place the yogurt into the cloth-lined sieve. (I guess you could skip this step but it's cool to see the yogurt's transformation.) Let it drain for 30 minutes.

Finely dice the cucumber. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt, toss and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Transfer the drained yogurt to a bowl and whisk it with a fork. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Add the cucumber but not the juice. Stir the cucumbers into the yogurt. Taste for salt.

Just before serving, cut the mint and add it to the yogurt. Stir it all together and serve.

Time- 30 minutes, much of it inactive.

Cost- Cheap. Very cheap. Not going to cost it out.