Raita is one of the basic dishes of Indian cuisine, which is normally served on the side of hot, spicey dishes as a cooling sauce. The basic raita recipe has just cucumber, yogurt, herbs and/or spices, but vegetables can be added to it too, such as spinach, onion, radish and so on. You can serve this spiced raita as a dip too (with poppadom), or as salad dressing, or pour it over grilled meat & roasted vegetables. For a vegan version, you can use plant-based yogurt - coconut or soy yogurt work best.