Boondi Raita is a healthy and delicious accompaniment made with yogurt and small fried balls made of chickpea flour and it goes very well with Indian meals. Here is how to make it.
You can also try some of my other favorites, that are regular at home – Bhindi Raita, Beetroot Raita, Tomato Onion Raita, Mooli Raita, and Kaddu Raita.
About This Recipe
Raita is an Indian accompaniment made using yogurt as the base ingredient. It is whisked until smooth and then flavored with various ingredients.
There are a variety of raita recipes in Indian cuisine and it is an everyday fare at most Indian homes.
Here, we are making a Boondi Raita where crispy Boondi made from gram flour are soaked and then added to the whisked curd along with some spices.
It is a great Raita to include in your everyday meals or even to serve with your festive meals. This accompaniment will make any simple meal delicious.
Ingredients
Yogurt and Milk – You can either make yogurt at home or can use the store-bought yogurt to make this Raita. Whisk it till smooth, before adding other ingredients to the remaining ingredients.
I also add milk to get a perfectly smooth consistency and make the Raita a little thin in consistency. You can also use water instead of milk, using milk just makes it more creamy.
Boondi – Crispy Boondi made from gram flour is added in the Raita. Here, I have soaked it to make it soft and remove the stale smell of oil, but some people also add it without soaking.
Sometimes, I just add the boondi right before serving, so that they remain crunchy.
Other Ingredients – To spice up this Raita, you will need – green chillies, salt, roasted cumin powder, mint powder, fennel powder and red chilli powder.
Step by Step Recipe
Soak the boondi in water for 5 minutes.
Take yogurt in a bowl.
Whisk until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Squeeze the boondi and add in the yogurt.
Ready Boondi raita.
Frequently asked Questions:
Boondi is small pearls of Chickpea flour which are deep-fried in oil till crispy and crunchy.
When added in yogurt, these soak up the liquid and becomes soft.
Boondi is available in most Indian stores and it comes in a variety of flavors like mint, masala, etc.
I prefer to use plain boondi to make Raita and add the masalas in the yogurt.
You can choose whichever flavor of boondi you like.
Make this homemade Mint Powder which adds a great flavor to this raita.
You can add a tempering to the simple boondi raita and make a totally new version.
I have a Boondi Burani Raita recipe on the blog which uses a tadka of garlic but you can also do a tempering of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, hing, and dry red chillies.
You can also add curry leaves to the tadka.
It is made of yogurt, which is high in protein, calcium, and low in unhealthy fats, making it very healthy to include in your meals. But the Boondi used in it is deep-fried and contains extra salt, which adds to your calories.
You can serve Boondi Raita along with your everyday meal as a side dish, which is Dal, Roti, and Sabzi.
You can also serve it with Stuffed Parathas or Gujarati Theplas. It even tastes great with Veg and Non-Veg Biryanis and Pulavs.
Boondi is deep fried and contains excess oil. Soaking it can help you to get rid of that excess oil, making it non oily.
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Recipe Card
Boondi Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yogurt
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ cup Boondi
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp Green Chilli (chopped)
- ¼ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- ¼ tsp Mint Powder
- ¼ tsp Fennel Powder
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
- Soak boondi in warm water for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the yogurt till smooth.
- Add milk and mix well.
- Add squeezed boondi, green chilli, salt, roasted cumin powder, dry mint powder, fennel powder and red chilli powder and mix well.
- Transfer the raita in the serving bowl.
- Garnish with fresh coriander.
- Serve chilled.
