# Restaurant style raita



## otuatail (Nov 30, 2020)

Hi everyone. I am having trouble with this. Most of the recipes on line use cumin seeds and coriander but the Rasta D osnt taste like a curry favoured yogurt minted. I have in 16th past used leaves from an Indian shop. Is this not the same as mint?


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## taxlady (Nov 30, 2020)

I have never made raita. The raita I have had from Indian restos has cucumber and mint added to the yogourt. It is often used for its "cooling" effect.


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## GotGarlic (Nov 30, 2020)

There are many kinds of raita. The base recipe is typically yogurt, cucumber and salt. To that, you can add any combination of cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, green onion, cilantro, mint and more. I haven't read all of these recipes, but here are some. 
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/raita-recipes-biryani-pulao-kababs/


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## pepperhead212 (Nov 30, 2020)

*otuatail*  What kind of leaves did you get from the Indian shop?  Were they fresh or dried?  If dried, they could have been methi (though it's also sold fresh, occasionally), which would have a totally different flavor.  I have made many types of raitas, some with fresh mint.  I'm not sure what you mean by "restaurant style".  Is it one that has the cucumber in it, along with the yogurt and other seasonings, or one without cucumber?  

One that I have made without cucumber, in which mint is the main flavor is simple - 1/2 c fresh mint leaves, 1 green thai or serrano  pepper, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp kashmiri pepper, and 1/2 tsp chaat masala.  Grind this to a coarse paste, adding 2 tb or so of water to help it circulate, if using an electric grinder, and stir into 1 c of full fat yogurt.  Add salt to taste.


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## otuatail (Dec 1, 2020)

I don't know what the leaves frim the indian shop were. i asumued an indian variety. They were not dry in the packageing. If it is an indian plant what type is it? If this is an indian plant then maybe it could be bought as a plant or seeds to grow. Having googled methi I find fenugreek. The leaves looked a bit like that but we use the seeds in recipies not the leaves!


Just a thought, I could buy the fenugreek seeds and plant them!


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## pepperhead212 (Dec 1, 2020)

*otuatail* - Here is a photo of peppermint - the mint I usually see in indian markets, so that's what I use in Indian dishes calling for fresh mint.  Spearmint is more pointed, and serrated, with a stronger flavor, and that's what I usually use in SE Asian recipes.


Peppermint plant 12-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Over 3 qts of spearmint, harvested 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Curry leaves - these look sort of like the fenugreek leaves, but I usually see them loose in the Indian markets, while the fenugreek leaves are always on the stalks.


Seeds of the curry tree, from the spring, just now starting to ripen. 9-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

They sell "fenugreek seeds for sprouting", and it's unbelievable how cheap they are!
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Fenu...06839963&sprefix=fenugreek+seeds+for+s&sr=8-4


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## otuatail (Dec 1, 2020)

AH yes. Curry leaves. Non what O need to do is find out where to get either a curry plant or seed to grow them in the UK.


Found this in on a UK website. Dosent look the same but you might recognise the flower if it has one.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/BloomGreen-Co-Culinary-Outdoor-Garden/dp/B07L9Y8CBK/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=curry+plant+seeds&qid=1606849781&sr=8-8


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## otuatail (Dec 1, 2020)

Interesting website note:


*British* government officials have implemented a *ban* on fresh *curry leaves* from outside the EU because of concerns about the spread of citrus greening disease. It is understood the *ban*  is most likely to affect countries such as Ghana, Kenya and the  Dominican Republic, all of which previously exported to Britain.16 Jun 2020


Also as a isue. These need to be out doors so do cats avoid these.


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## pepperhead212 (Dec 1, 2020)

otuatail said:


> AH yes. Curry leaves. Non what O need to do is find out where to get either a curry plant or seed to grow them in the UK.
> 
> 
> Found this in on a UK website. Dosent look the same but you might recognise the flower if it has one.
> ...



That plant on Amazon is the Curry *Plant*, while the one that curry leaves come from is the Curry *Tree* - two different species. And if you see seeds, like on this link, they won't be for the curry tree - only the fresh, soft seeds, can be used from that, not dried out seeds.   The curry plant isn't edible - it is called that because it has a curry like aroma.  The curry leaves used in cooking don't actually have a curry like aroma - they are called that because they are used in curries!  

You should still be able to find a plant over there somewhere - like here, they had to start growing them there, once the import was banned, and with the high population of Indians in the UK, I'm sure that's how they are getting the leaves now.  Same thing happened here with kaffir lime leaves many years ago, and they were pretty much unavailable for a number of years.  They started growing them  in this country, which takes time, and they were only available to upscale restaurants, but eventually became available in some stores.  The larger lime tree I have is 18 years old, from back in those years, when I couldn't get the leaves.  I don't know if a similar thing happened with curry leaves, but they were almost unavailable around here about 12 years ago, when that plant was started.  It is brought indoors, once the temperature is  below 50°F (10°C).


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## otuatail (Dec 3, 2020)

Just seen this though.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/seedsown-C...ords=curry+leaves+plant&qid=1606995696&sr=8-1


But the problem is the tree would not grow the leaves as fast as I would need them.


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## pepperhead212 (Dec 3, 2020)

So how fast would you be using those leaves?  That small curry tree I got was even smaller than the one there, when I started, and I was harvesting from it in 6 months.  And it produces so fast that I trim off the branches and take a bag of them to the Indian grocer, because I don't use them fast enough!  They give me deals, for this, and the peppers I give them, during the summer.  Here's a photo of that tree, after being outside only about 6 weeks, after trimming way back, to put back out, in the spring.  Even if I used that every day, it would have more than I could use!


Curry tree 6-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr


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