Bottle Gourd Raita with Mint

A refreshing recipe based on one from Rashmi Aggarwala, who formerly taught Indian cooking in The New School’s Culinary Program in New York City. Bottle gourd lends more textural effect than flavor, creating a light, airy salad or salsa. There is no reason to stop at raita’s traditional role as a cooling side dish for super-spicy Indian dishes. It also adds freshness to chili con carne or sweet-hot barbecue.

Flavors develop as the mixture rests—but no more than a few hours, or the c