We aren't on Brick Lane anymore...

Today I am making Indian food, for the first time since we've left London. Supermarkets here in Florida don't have quite the same vast selection of prepackaged masala and curry sauces. None actually. There are several recipes on the internet for things like Channa Masala (chickpea curry) and Sag Paneer (curried fresh cheese), but they are all widely different. I bought a few ingredients and will try to carve out my own Indian dishes. We will see how it goes. I'll update and let you know what I come up with.
Here are some ingredients I picked up for the main dishes:

Coconut milk
cumin
turmeric
Curry powder (garam masala or even curry paste would have been better if I could have found it)
1 Eggplant (aubergine)
2 cans of chickpeas
1/2 pound of fresh Queso (would be nice if I could have found Paneer)
4 plum tomatoes and 1 can crushed tomatoes
a few onions


So far I have successfully made Cucumber Raita. Which is a a cool yogurt sauce that goes well with spicy curry, or just for dipping papadums and naan before the meal.
Here's how I did it:



-12oz plain yogurt (I used fat free, it seems to taste the same)
-1 cucumber, finely diced or shredded
-1/2 small onion or 1/4 large onion (red or yellow), finely chopped
-1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn or cut into small pieces.
-1 tablespoon sesame or olive oil
-1 teaspoon of cumin (to taste)


Just mix all these ingredients in a bowl and chill until ready to eat. It's good to make this first so all the flavors have time to blend with the yogurt.
So we are off to a good start.