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Boondi is a hero ingredient in this variation of raita. Wondering what a boondi is?
Boondi small balls fried in gram flour. They are round, round and that is why the word boondi – is derived from the Hindi word “boond” meaning water droplets.
Making homemade boondi is easy or otherwise available at most grocery or candy stores in India. They are strong, crispy, and usually sold in 2 varieties:
Salty Boondi or Plain Boondi
Masala Boondi
Boondi raita is made of salty boondi or clear boondi. If you live outside of India you can buy boondi at Indian grocery stores or online.
Boondi is often served with chaat recipes such as Dahi Bhalla or Dahi Vada or added to Jal Jeera or mixed in Pani (saltwater) Pani Puri.
Unsalted boondi goes into making Boondi Ladoo or Motichoor Ladoo Recipe. They are also used in making fried snacks like Kara Boondi and Mixture Recipe.
In the picture below you can see the fried and crispy boondi.
Boondi is a wooden bowl with a few pieces of boondi on a wooden board
To make this side dish boondi is not added directly to yogurt. These small clear balls (boondi) are first immersed in warm water.
As a result, they are slightly bulky in size and very soft. All their jewelry is lost. They are soaked in surface water and added to spicy yogurt. So you have a spicy yogurt with a soft boondi melting in your mouth.
Cucumber Raita, Onion raita, and boondi raita with three spices of the most sought-after raitas in Indian cuisine.
Boondi raita is very easy to make. You can serve it with any North Indian dish. But especially this raita goes very well with rice dishes like biryani or pulao and they eat a lot.
Serve me this spicy boondi raita with biryani rice and avocado/brinjal curry. If you are hard-pressed for a while, you can get raita and hot basmati rice and a side vegetable salad.
To make this raita you can use milk curd or plant-based yogurts like cashew yogurt or almond yogurt.
Step by step guide
How to make a Boondi Raita
Adjust Boondi and Curd
- Start by heating 1.5 cups of water in a stove pan or microwave oven or electric heater. Take warm water from a bowl.
- Warm water for boondi raita
- Then add the boondi to the warm water.
- Add boondi to warm water
- Allow soaking for 9 to 12 minutes. Close the container with a lid. Be sure not to soak them in too long or they will turn mushy.
- Bond consumed
- Meanwhile, whisk the curd (yogurt) in a bowl until smooth. It is best to use fresh homemade curd and make sure the curd is not sour. The curd can be cold or at room temperature.
- Drain all water from immersed boondi.
- Make a Boondi Raita
- Slightly press the boondi on the palms of your hands, to squeeze more water into it. However, do not mix them up. Add the boondi to the peeled curd and mix gently with a spoon.
- Boondi is added to yogurt
- Add the dried powders and spices listed below:-
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon of chaat masala powder
- ½ teaspoon fried cumin powder.
- ¼ A teaspoon of red chili powder or cayenne pepper.
- ¼ Spoon black pepper powder – optional.
- ½ tablespoon of fennel powder – optional.
- Black salt or common salt or edible rock salt as needed.
- Add spices to a mixture of boondi curd.
- Mix and mix the ingredients of the soil evenly. Do a taste test and add more ground spices or salt according to your preferences.
- Finally add chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves. You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves or 1 teaspoon of chopped mint leaves.
- Add mint leaves to boondi raita
- Boondi raita can be used in the cold or at room temperature. You can also garnish the raita with sprigs of mint or coriander leaves. It also goes well with biryani or pulao and any rice-based dishes like jeera rice or saffron rice or biryani rice.
You can also choose to give boondi raita with a variety of immersive parathas like aloo paratha, gobi paratha, or mooli paratha.
Helpful Tips
- Curd: Use homemade curd or yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is not sour. If you use curd, check the expiration date.
- Consistency: If the curd is thick or if you are using Greek yogurt, then add water to reduce consistency.
- Immersion in boondi: To get a soft, melting boondi in the mouth, keep immersed in warm water. Dipping fried boondi in water also removes some of the fat from it in the water. If you add crispy boondi directly to the yogurt, it will not soften completely and you will get a taste of their sharp pieces when you eat. But if you like crispy boondi on raita, do not dip them.
- Spices: You can skip or change ground spices according to your preferred taste. Try using roasted cumin powder as it gives off a delicious earthy, nutty and delicious raita.
- Boondi: Specifically use plain or salted boondi to make this raita. To get a little bitter raita, add finely chopped green peppers or add a little red pepper. You can also choose to add both green and red peppers
Notes
- If the yogurt is thick, then whisk in the water to make a small, even consistency.
- Spice powders can be prepared as per your taste.
- You can also add finely chopped green peppers and finely chopped ginger for flavor and texture.
The recipe can be easily customized to suit your needs.
- Be sure to use fresh curd. I would suggest using homemade cream.
- You can also quiet the raita by frying cumin seeds, green peppers, or dry red peppers (removed seeds) and a little bit of asafoetida (hing) in a little oil.
- Use salty or plain boondi to make this raita.
