Boondi Raita Recipe (Classic)

5 from 10 votes

This spiced Boondi raita is a flavorful North Indian raita variety made with curd (yogurt), boondi (crisp fried gram flour balls), herbs, seasonings and spices.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Easy

Servings:

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

½ cup boondi - plain or salted
1 cup Curd (yogurt) - dairy or plant based
¼ to ½ teaspoon chaat masala
½ teaspoon saunf powder (fennel powder) - optional
½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder - optional
1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) or 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
a few coriander leaves or mint leaves for garnish
black salt or edible rock salt or regular salt as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

First warm water in a pan on stovetop or electric heater or in the microwave.
Take the warm water in a bowl. Add the boondi in the warm water. Cover the bowl with a lid. Let them get soaked for 9 to 12 minutes.
Drain all the water and lightly press the boondi in your palms, to squeeze the water from them. Don't mash them up.

Making boondi raita

Whisk the curd in a bowl.
Add the boondi and mix gently.
Add all the dry spice powders, chopped mint leaves or coriander leaves, including salt as required. Mix and stir the raita well.
Check the taste and add more salt or ground spice powders if needed.
Garnish the raita with mint leaves or coriander leaves.
The boondi raita can be served cold or at room temperature. They go well with biryani or pulao or any rice based dishes like cumin rice.
You can also serve boondi raita with stuffed paratha variants like gobi paratha, aloo paratha, paneer paratha or mooli paratha.
Refrigerate the raita if not serving immediatedly. I would recommend to eat the raita in the same day or at the most you can store for 1 day in the fridge.
If in case after refrigeration the raita has become thick then add a few teaspoons of water to thin the consistency slightly.

Notes

If the yogurt is thick, then whisk with some water to make a slightly thin consistency.
The spice powders can be adjusted as per your taste.
You can also add finely chopped green chilies and a bit of finely chopped ginger to get some spice and pungency.
Make sure to use fresh curd which has not become sour. I would suggest to use homemade curd.
You can also temper the raita by frying cumin seeds, green chilies or dry red chilies (seeds removed) and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) in a bit of oil.
Use salted or plain boondi to make this raita. If you live outside India you can buy them from Indian grocery store or online.

Nutrition