Sometime back, I saw a video by Rujuta Divekar about date raita with very minimal ingredients. I was intrigued and decided to make my version of this recipe recently. It has been very hot in Singapore the last few months and this was made for lunch on one of those hot, summery days. This is perfect for the summer and can be made in 10 minutes, from start to finish. This sweet and savoury yoghurt-based dish goes with anything and is very good on its own too.

Date Raita

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 12–15 Dates, pitted
• ½ tsp. cumin powder
• ½ tsp. black salt, or to taste
• 1 inch of ginger
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves or 1 tsp dried mint powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk the yoghurt until smooth. If the yoghurt is too thick, you can add a little water or milk to achieve the desired consistency.
• In a small blender, add the pitted dates, ginger, green chillies, and mint (or mint powder) and coarsely grind them using some yoghurt or water.
• Add this to the whisked yoghurt.
• Season with salt, black salt, and cumin powder. Mix well to combine all the ingredients evenly.
• Taste the raita and adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt or black salt according to your preference.
• Refrigerate the Dates Raita for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together and for the raita to chill.
• Before serving, give the raita a final stir. Optionally, sprinkle a pinch of roasted cumin powder on top for extra flavour.