Cucumber Raita (Salad) with Parmesan Crisp

(Serves: 4)

Ingredients
4 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 small cucumber
¼ cup yogurt
3 pinches salt
¼ tsp. garam masala powder
4 cups baby spinach leaves
3 pinches salt
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet. Put 1 tbsp. of parmesan mixture on it and spread it to form a small disk. Repeat with remaining cheese. Keep about 1 inch gap between each disk. Bake for 3, 4 minutes. At this point the disks will be golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Peel cucumber. Finely dice it in about 1cm * 1cm pieces.
4. Add yogurt, salt and garam masala. Keep aside.
5. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Lightly toss it with spinach.
6. Put about 1 cup of spinach on a salad plate. Place parmesan crisp on it and put 1/4th of the cucumber raita on the crisp. Serve immediately.


Tips:
· It is important to use a parchment paper while baking the crisps. Otherwise the cheese will stick to the baking sheet.
· The crisps can be made few hours I advance. You can also cut the cucumber few hours in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Do not add the yogurt sauce until the end though, as it will make the raita runny.
· Garam masala is a blend of spices like red chili, clove, cinnamon, mace, pepper, cardamom etc. It is easily available in Indian grocery stores. If you do not have an access to garam masala, you can use chili powder, cayenne powder or paprika.