Farmer’s salad, which consists of chopped vegetables, a dry version of cottage cheese called farmer’s cheese, and yogurt, was a special breakfast when I was a child. I wasn’t particularly fond of the vegetables, but the contrast with the creamy dairy topping was a welcome break from cereal.
I’m not sure what the origins of this dish are; I’ve seen variations in many ethnic cookbooks. Dara Goldstein provides a recipe for green beans, onion, herbs and yogurt in her book, “The Georgian Feast” (University of California Press). Lebanese cooking elevates yogurt to an essential ingredient and offers several examples of a vegetable mixed with the cultured dairy product. Laban ma khyar, a dish that mixes cucumber, garlic, mint and yogurt, bears a close resemblance to the farmer’s salad I recall.
Although I’m fond of raita, a condiment served in Indian restaurants and used as a refreshing balance to spicy foods, it had not occurred to me that this, too, is an entry in the yogurt-vegetable category.
Raita can be as varied as the cook desires. It starts with yogurt, as all these dishes do. Potatoes, radishes, cucumbers and spinach are popular add-ins. Raita recipes are more intensely seasoned than other yogurt-vegetable dishes, so I wouldn’t recommend them for a morning meal. But raita brings a zesty accent to chicken, fish or shrimp. Or you can serve it as a light dinner. In this recipe, raita is paired with crumb-coated baked chicken.
Baked chicken with radish-and-potato raita
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup Japanese bread crumbs (panko) or coarse fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Lime wedges
Radish-and-potato raita (recipe follows)
Place butter and garlic in a large skillet, and cook them over low heat until the butter melts and the garlic is aromatic. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, flatten chicken to an even ½-inch thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
Roll chicken in butter to coat. Place bread crumbs on a dinner plate. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and mix well. Roll chicken in bread-crumb mixture to coat all sides. Place chicken on a baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve chicken with lime wedges, and pass around the radish-and-potato raita. Makes 2 servings.
Radish-and-potato raita
3 small cooked Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced (peeling is optional)
3 small radishes, sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions, green parts only
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (8-ounce) carton reduced-fat plain yogurt
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Combine potatoes, radishes and scallions in a medium-size bowl. Combine cumin, paprika, yogurt, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Stir yogurt mixture into vegetables.
Makes 2 servings.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Please read our comment policy before commenting.