Grape Raita

Winter is my favourite season. Even when I was in North India - when it seemed a herculean task to get out of the confines of quilts and blankets in the morning - I still loved the winter months. But as I moved to the western parts of the country, the season became quite mild. In my current city, we have already started using the fans during the day, while my parents and in - laws in the north have not witnessed sunlight for the past 3 days.

But temperatures aside, winter still has its charms in terms of the fruits and vegetables it offers. Fresh green peas, cauliflowers, red juicy carrots, oranges, grapes, strawberries - the vendor's cart seems quite tempting. It is fun to shop for vegetables. My mind instantly associates each purchase with a recipe I would like to try.

This week we bought green grapes for the first time in the season. And after reaching home, I realised that the quantity was a bit too much for just the two of us. What I experimented with, and which was an instant success, was this Grape Raita. It is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe of Grape & Walnut Raita. I skipped the walnuts since I did not have any, and substituted the mint with coriander.

The raita works well with pulaos and biryanis, and can also be had on its own. We had it with Coriander Mint Rice and the combination was just awesome.

Ingredients:

Curd / Yoghurt: 2 cups

Seedless grapes: 20 - 25, halved lengthwise

Fresh Coriander, finely chopped: 2 - 3 tsp

Sugar (preferably powdered): 1/2 - 3/4 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Rock Salt (Kala namak): 1/4 tsp

Salt: To taste

Method:

- Whisk the curd to a smooth consistency

- Add the sugar, rock salt, cumin powder and salt. Adjust to taste

- Add the grapes and coriander

- Cool it in a refrigerator before serving

This recipe goes to Monthly Mingle, the event organized by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey? This month's mingle features Winter fruits and vegetables, and is hosted by Sudeshna of Cook like a Bong.