This is adapted from Julie Sahni's _Classic Indian Cooking_. It's served
alongside spicy foods to provide cooling relief:

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad

2 medium-sized cucumbers
1 medium-sized ripe tomato
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1. Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half. If the seeds look hard and
mature, scrape them out with a spoon and discard. Using the coarse blade of
a grater or a food processor, grate the cucumbers into a bowl.

2. Wash and dry the tomato. Cut it in quarters and using a spoon, scrape out
the pulp with the seeds. (Reserve them for some other use.) Slice the
tomato into thin shreds and add them to the bowl.

3. Put the yogurt, sour cream, cumin, and mint in another bowl and mix
thoroughly. (The vegetables and the yogurt mixture can be prepared several
hours ahead of time and refrigerated separately until needed.)

4. When ready to serve, stir the salt and the prepared vegetables into the
yogurt mixture. Check for salt, and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle
with additional cumin, if desired.


Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> This is adapted from Julie Sahni's _Classic Indian Cooking_. It's served
> alongside spicy foods to provide cooling relief:
>
> Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
>
> 2 medium-sized cucumbers
> 1 medium-sized ripe tomato
> 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
> 1/2 cup sour cream
>
I note that you're using sour cream and yogurt. Does that somehow better
mimic a richer yogurt that I've seen mentioned before? I've read
suggestions of letting plain yogurt drain overnight. I'll try it
verbatim as you wrote here but I wondered...?
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:

>> Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
>>
>> 2 medium-sized cucumbers
>> 1 medium-sized ripe tomato
>> 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
>> 1/2 cup sour cream
>>
> I note that you're using sour cream and yogurt. Does that somehow better
> mimic a richer yogurt that I've seen mentioned before? I've read
> suggestions of letting plain yogurt drain overnight. I'll try it verbatim
> as you wrote here but I wondered...?


She doesn't comment on it in the book, but I'd assumed it was to approximate
the higher-fat yogurt they have in India. Draining the yogurt wouldn't
result in the same flavor or texture.

Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Goomba38 wrote:
>
>>> Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
>>>
>>> 2 medium-sized cucumbers
>>> 1 medium-sized ripe tomato
>>> 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
>>> 1/2 cup sour cream
>>>
>> I note that you're using sour cream and yogurt. Does that somehow better
>> mimic a richer yogurt that I've seen mentioned before? I've read
>> suggestions of letting plain yogurt drain overnight. I'll try it verbatim
>> as you wrote here but I wondered...?
>
>
> She doesn't comment on it in the book, but I'd assumed it was to
> approximate
> the higher-fat yogurt they have in India. Draining the yogurt wouldn't
> result in the same flavor or texture.

I use greek-style yogurt, which is thicker and creamier than the standard
type, and doesn't require sour cream as well.

Jani