Indian side, occasionally erratic, getting cheers (5)
I believe the answer is:
raita
'indian side' is the definition.
(raita is an Indian side dish)
'occasionally erratic getting cheers' is the wordplay.
'occasionally' means one should take alternating letters (letters taken at regular intervals or occasions).
'getting' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'cheers' becomes 'ta' (both can mean thank you).
The alternate letters of 'erratic' are 'rai'.
'rai'+'ta'='RAITA'
(Other definitions for raita that I've seen before include "Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumber" , "Dishy thing" , "Indian recipe" , "Yogurt, chopped cucumber and spices" , "fare from India" .)