Sluttishly Savoury: Apple Raita

It has reached that time of year when I urgently need my food to cool me down from within. While pondering this the other day, it occurred to me that raita is EXACTLY what I need, possibly for every single meal from now until September.

This Indian condiment tempers the heat of curries and spicy snacks with its blend of yoghurt, cucumber and mint. I add apple to mine for extra crunch and sweetness, and I chop everything roughly so that it's more of a scoopy sauce than a dippy one. Uh-huh, scoopy sauce is a real culinary term. Shush.

Apple Raita (makes one giant bowlful) 
Preparation time: 5 minutes
You will need:

• ½ a cucumber, peeled and roughly diced
• 1 large red apple, peeled, cored and roughly diced
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 1 small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 500g natural yoghurt
• A large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste

Make it! 

1. Squeeze the moisture out of the diced cucumber using a wad of kitchen roll, or a clean tea towel.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and season to taste. 
3. Serve with spicy, dippy food like pakoras and bhajis, or simply shovel it into your gaping maw using naan bread or poppadums.