Ball Raita

You know when you take a bite of Indian food and your mouth explodes in flames? So you frantically down a glass of water which only makes it worse (and then you really have to pee)? So then you try putting a napkin on your tongue to squash the pain but just end up looking like an idiot? You're crying, your nose is running, your face is beet red, and even worse the waiters are gossiping about you back in the kitchen. "Hey Babu, did you see that Pagal try to eat the napkin? Didn't we serve him enough food? So fat these Americans."

The solution, you silly Americans, is called Raita. It's a yogurt-based sauce that you must always have on hand when eating Indian food. It is your savior, your personal firefighting squad. One spoonful and you can go back to your dinner conversation without the usual hysterics. That's the Indian secret.

Raita has different versions depending on the ingredients added beyond yogurt. This version is our favorite. My mother never knew the Hindi name so we literally call it "Ball Raita" because it has balls in it. Have some balls and make it yourself.

*******************************************************************
Ingredients
2 cups of plain, non-fat yogurt
Either 1 cup of Kix cereal or 1 cup of spicy boondi (from Indian grocery)
1 tsp of ground cumin seeds
1/4 tsp of black salt

Steps
1. Thin yogurt with water until it is slightly creamy
2. Add hot peppers. Turn down stove to medium
3. Stir in cumin seeds and black salt
4. Add Kix or boondi
5. Place in fridge to cool until ready to serve
6. Keep in middle of table during meal for easy access in emergencies

Serves 4