Indian salads are a great accompaniment to any Indian meal. They are healthy, delicious and easy to prepare. In North India, salads are known as raitas (pronounced “rye-ta“), and are usually always yogurt based. Raitas have a wonderful cooling effect on the palate that makes them the perfect compliment for any spicy meal. In other regions of India, salads are known as koshimbir, kachumber or pachadi. These types of salads may or may not contain yogurt. There are many different varieties of raitas and koshimbirs but my Pomegranate Raita has always been a personal favorite – not only for the delicious combination of flavors & textures, but also for the lovely burst of pink/ruby color.

A pomegranate is a delicious fruit commonly eaten throughout India. It has a hard outer covering encasing bright ruby red seeds, which are the edible portion of the fruit. My grandmother actually had several pomegranate trees in her garden, so I have wonderful childhood memories of enjoying many pomegranates during my summers in India. It was always a fun race to pick the ripe pomegranates before the monkeys got to them first!

Pomegranates are considered a super food because they are a wonderfully rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid & antioxidants. Drinking pomegranate juice daily is thought to prevent certain cancers, lower both high cholesterol & blood pressure and promote overall good health.


POMEGRANATE RAITA

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 small apple, finely diced (any firm variety will work)
½ cup red onion, finely diced
½ cup celery, finely diced
1-2 small green Thai chilies, finely minced (to taste)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (or lemon or orange juice)
pinch of ground cumin powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1½-2 cups yogurt, as needed
½ tbsp honey, to taste
freshly chopped cilantro leaves (or mint leaves) for garnish
freshly chopped chives for garnish
a few pomegranate seeds for garnish

METHOD:

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the pomegranate seeds and diced apple pieces with the red onion, celery, green chilies, lime juice, ground cumin powder, salt and pepper. In another mixing bowl, combine the yogurt and the honey – whisk together until smooth. Now add the yogurt to the pomegranate mixture. Mix gently to combine all of the ingredients and garnish with the cilantro leaves and chives. Sprinkle the top with a few pomegranate seeds and serve as a part of any meal.


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add some freshly diced pear instead of apple if you like, seedless grape haves would also work well.



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