Bathua Raita Recipe
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Bathua raita (Chenopodium yogurt dip) is a delicious accompaniment to serve with North Indian meals. Make it using my easy recipe.
I like to make a raita for almost all my lunches. Here are a few of my favorite raita recipes: kaddu ka raita, carrot raita, cucumber raita, and sana hua nimbu.
Quick Look: Bathua Raita
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: Approx. 40 per serving
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free. Can be easily made vegan.
Skill Level: Easy
Tools Needed: Saucepan, blender, mixing bowl, wire whisk.
Table of Contents
In English, bathua is also known as Chenopodium album, goosefoot, or lamb’s quarters. It is a winter green with dark green leaves, available for a very short period in winter.
Bathua raita is a refreshing North Indian accompaniment made using plain yogurt, fresh bathua, and a few spices. Bathua leaves are cooked, then pureed and mixed with yogurt and a few spices.
While growing up, winter weekends meant bathua paratha and bathua raita for lunch. After moving to Bangalore, I couldn’t find this green anywhere. It was not used in the southern part of the country. What a loss, I would say.
I had not made this raita in years. However, with a large North Indian community in Bangalore and across India, this green is now easy to find in winter. If you get bathua where you live, then try this raita.
I enjoy serving bathua raita with stuffed parathas, pulavs, and khichdi. You can also serve it with any North Indian-style meal. Whenever I make this raita, I prepare a few extra portions and store them in a glass container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This way, I can eat it whenever I want to.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Plain Yogurt (Dahi, Curd) – You can use full-fat or low-fat yogurt for the bathua raita recipe. I personally prefer full-fat yogurt because it makes my raita super creamy. If you follow a vegan diet, then replace dairy yogurt with vegan yogurt. All the other ingredients in this recipe are vegan-friendly.
- Bathua (Lamb’s Quarter, Chenopodium) is the star ingredient of this raita recipe. Use fresh, unwilted leaves.
- Others – You will also need baking soda, regular white salt, black salt, roasted cumin powder, and red chili powder. Baking soda helps retain bathua’s bright green color.
You can also add ½ teaspoon of my raita masala powder for an extra flavor boost.
How To Make Bathue Ka Raita
Preparation: Pick the leaves and discard the stems. You will need 2 cups of packed leaves. Wash the leaves well with running water 2-3 times to remove all the mud.
Cook The Bathua Leaves
Step 1: Cook and puree the bathua. We are using the blanching method, which involves quickly boiling the leaves and immediately cooling them by dipping them in cold water. This step helps retain their bright green color.
Add 3 cups of water to a medium-sized pan and set it on the stove. Heat over medium-high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil.
Add 2 cups of bathua leaves and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the pan, then press the leaves with a ladle to submerge them.
Step 2: Now cook the leaves for just 2 minutes. Drain the water through a large-mesh strainer, then run the leaves under cold water to stop further cooking.
Step 3: Add the cooked leaves to a small blender jar.
Step 4: Blend until smooth. Add very little water while blending, if needed, to help blend evenly.
Make The Raita
Step 5: Add 1 cup chilled plain yogurt to a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Step 6: Now add the following ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- bathua puree
- ½ teaspoon regular white salt
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Step 7: Add milk or water if the raita looks thick and mix well. The right consistency of bathua raita should be flowy but not watery. Serve.
You can chill it in the refrigerator for a few more hours to make it even more refreshing.
Bathua Raita FAQs
I clean bathua leaves just like I clean any other greens. Firstly, pluck the leaves from the stem and discard the stems. Fill a large pot with water and add the leaves. Now, gently rub the leaves between your palms for 3-4 seconds. Then let the leaves soak for a minute. The mud will settle at the bottom of the pot. Now gently remove the leaves from the top of the bowl. Repeat this process 2-3 times until the water in the bowl looks clean and free of mud particles. You can now use the leaves as per your recipe.
You can blanch and puree the bathua leaves and store the puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. You can also freeze the puree in small portions for up to 6 months. Just thaw the puree and use it to make the raita.
Ready bathua raita can also be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. After that, the yogurt will start to become sour.
Pro Tips By Neha
I sometimes add a green chili while blending the bathua for a spicy kick in the raita.
For a slightly different taste, you can temper it with cumin seeds and asafoetida (hing). Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the ghee is hot, add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida (hing), then let them crackle for 3-4 seconds. Then pour this tadka over the prepared raita and mix well.
You can also make this raita with greens other than bathua. Spinach (palak) and fenugreek leaves (methi) are some options.
I like to puree blanched bathua greens and then mix the puree with yogurt to make this raita, but I have seen many households chop the bathua and cook it for 4-5 minutes in a pan. Then they add the cooked bathua to the yogurt along with the other ingredients to make the raita. This gives the raita a little texture.
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Bathua Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups bathua leaves (packed, rinsed)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chilled yogurt (dahi, curd)
- ½ teaspoon regular white salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Instructions
Cook The Bathua leaves
- Add 3 cups of water to a medium-sized pan and set it on the stove. Heat it over medium-high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil.
- Add bathua leaves and baking soda to the pan, then press the leaves with a ladle to submerge them.
- Now cook the leaves for just 2 minutes. Drain the water through a large-mesh strainer, then run the leaves under cold water to stop further cooking.
- Add the cooked leaves to the small jar of a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add very little water while blending, if needed, to help blend evenly.
Make The Raita
- Add yogurt to a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add bathua puree, regular white salt, black salt, roasted cumin powder, and red chili powder, and mix well.
- Add milk or water if the raita looks thick and mix well. The right consistency of bathua raita should be flowy but not watery. Serve.
