Cucumber Salad 3 (Raita)

Ingredients:

4-5 small pickling cucumbers or 1 english cucumber
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
2 tsp ghee for tempering
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilies
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
handful fresh coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) chopped finely

Recipe:

Chop cucumber fine or grate them (squeeze water out and use it to drink or apply it to face...it has cooling effect on body)
Add yogurt, salt, sugar, peanut powder (optional) and mix well.
Prepare ghee tempering with cumin seeds and chilies (hing powder is optional).
Add it to mixture and mix well.
Add chopped cilantro.
Serve as a side dish with chapaties, naan or thick rotis (bhakari) or pita bread.

Notes:

1) I use the same recipe for cucumbers but don't squeeze water out and don't add peanut powder.
2) I use the same recipe for roasted green bell pepper. Roast peppers directly on top of stove or in the oven and let them cool. Then remove skin, seeds and the stem and chop them into small pieces.
3) I use the same recipe for red pumpkin. You need to remove skin and seeds from the pumpkin and cut into small pieces and cook them in pressure cooker or in microwave. 
4) I use the same recipe for beet roots.  Remove skin and cut them into small pieces.  Steam them in pressure cooker or microwave.  Make this raita without peanut powder. 
5) Use the same recipe for mixed veggies of your choice (tomatoes, onion, scallion, radishes, carrots, cucumbers - chop them or grate them )
4) I use this raita as a dip with pita bread. I roast pita bread (Toufayan) on top of stove (using cake cooling rack). I use tongs and keep turning the bread until it puffs up and then open it and apply 1 tsp ghee on it. I serve this immediately.