A MEAL WITHOUT CHILIES OR ACHAR OR EVEN CAPERS!

The classic Indian restaurant raita is composed of creamy yoghurt, dark-toasted cumin, salt, and chopped cucumber, often with either a touch of onion for zippities, or shredded carrot for colour. Which is remarkably odd and unimaginative, because raitas come in all possible variations, often including as the main non-yoghurt component things like banana, or gourd, or blanched stringy veggies, and the name itself derives from the word for mustard -- rai -- the fried seeds of which add a lovely sparkle to the dish.
Rai is often not part of a restaurant raita.

In point of fact, the mustardless Indian restaurant raita is not really the standard by which to judge all raitas.

Neither is what I had for lunch.


Which was a ham, salami, and minced frankfurter raita. With lots of chopped cucumber. And a pinch of dark-toasted cumin, plus salt.
No mustard seed.

It was rather lovely on buttered toast, washed down with strong tea.


No, of course I did not have that at an eatery or snacketaria, be real! Do you really think that a merchant no matter how enterprising and creative would serve that?
I made it at home.
At around three thirty five or so in the afternoon.
Nine hours after the breakfast I did not have.
When I realized that I was hungry.

It wasn't until I had eaten that I wished that I had added some chilies or achar. Or capers. It seemed incomplete. That was last week.
I should probably make it again.
It bears experimentation.
And "improvement".

Or at least second thought.



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