Indian~Inspired: Yogurt-y Dipping Sauce (Raita)

This dipping sauce was created to go with our Savoury Patties recipe; most like a pakora, meant to be eaten as an appetizer or an accompaniment to your favorite spicy Indian dish.  

It was inspired by and is very similar to a recipe by one of my personal fave fellow vegan recipe bloggers, the Gluten-Free Vegan Girl. Her idea to use coconut cream as the base for this dip has me singing her praises.  And knowing I would be using this to go with another Indian inspired dish, the coconut cream just made so much sense to me. The result is so flavorful and creamy! I have veganized many dips over the years and most of the time, it requires replacing the dairy with either a silken tofu base or a vegan mayonaise, both of which taste good but lack the creamy consistency I crave in a dip.  This recipe does not fail to deliver in that regard.

Yogurt-y Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups of coconut cream*

1 mini or 1/2 regular sized cucumber peeled and grated

1/4 tsp. of cumin

1/8 tsp of ground cayenne pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp of pink sea salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tbsp of fresh finely chopped mint leaves

The coconut cream used in this recipe is simply the cream or fat of the coconut that has raised to the top of the canned coconut milk.  For best results allow your can of coconut milk to sit upright in the fridge for at least two hours.  This part may be best done the night before.

Once chilled, open your can of coconut milk and carefully scoop the cream from the top and place in a bowl. 

Next peel your cucumber and grate into a small bowl. Drain off some of the liquid.

Measure out your seasonings/spices into a small bowl and stir to incorporate.

Place your coconut cream and cucumber in a medium sized bowl.  Toss in your spice blend and then pour the lemon juice into the bowl. 

Vigorously stir the ingredients together until you reach a creamy consistency.  For best results and a smoother consistency, use a hand blender.

Lastly, fold in your chopped mint leaves.

~Serve as a dipping sauce for bhaji or pakora or even with a simple veggie platter.

~Use it as a sauce on an Indian inspired sandwich. Or our "Grilled Pita Pockets"

~Or perhaps a dollop on your veggie korma or other favorite Indian dish.

It's up to you!   

Enjoy~

Namaste

(The divine light within me salutes the divine light within you.)

*Or perhaps try it with our other "Appetizer on the fly: Squash Fritters"