Raw vegetable food cursed; it needs to be cooked (8)
I believe the answer is:
crudites
'raw vegetable food' is the definition.
'crudites' can be an answer for 'food' (crudites is a kind of food). I'm not certain of the 'raw vegetable' bit.
'cursed it needs to be cooked' is the wordplay.
'cursed it' can be anagrammed to 'CRUDITES'.
Though, I'm not clear how this is indicated.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for crudites that I've seen before include "Nibbles" , "Sliced vegetables" , "Raw vegetables served with a dip" , "Mixed raw vegetables served as an hors d'oeuvre" .)