Chopped Radish with Chile-Spiked Yogurt

Yogurt-based accompaniments, called raitas, are pervasive in all of India. The key reason for including a raita as part of a meal is to minimize the heat from chiles—fresh, dried, or ground. Yogurt soothes the digestive tract, acting as a sealant against pungent-hot foods. It also cools the body down during intensely hot days. This raita is studded with cool, crisp daikon radish, which is quite mild in flavor—daikon is often considered to be a cross between the familiar