Boondi Raita

Boondi Raita is a popular Indian condiment made with yogurt, boondi (small chickpea flour balls) and is seasoned with a few Indian spices and garnished with coriander. Like most Raita's , its cooling and soothing taste makes it the perfect accompaniment with spicy dishes and is commonly seen paired as a side dish with rice varieties like Pulao or Biryani.

Boondi is basically small balls made by frying the chickpea flour batter. You could make it from scratch but boondi is easily available in most Indian/Asian stores so you can save some time by getting the store bought ones. There are mainly two varieties of boondi available in market, plain salted variety and a spicy/masala variety. I'ved used the later for this post. If you are not a spice fan, stick to the first one.

To make Boondi Raita, you whisk the yogurt to make it smooth, add the spices and adjust the consistency using milk or water. Go easy with the salt since boondi already has some.  Some like a thick raita some like it runny. There is no right or wrong way, its basically upto ones preference. Typically boondi is soaked in water to make it soft and then added to the spiced yogurt but some (includes me) like the crunchy kind so in this case just add it to the yogurt before serving.

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Boondi Raita

Boondi Raita is a popular Indian condiment made with yogurt, boondi (small chickpea flour balls) and is seasoned with a few Indian spices and garnished with coriander. It pairs perfect with spicy dishes, Pulao and Biryani's.

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 2 -3

Author: Shweta Arora

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup boondi1/2 cup boondi
• 3/4 cup yogurt3/4 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup water or milk or as required1/4 cup water or milk or as required
• 1 tsp sugar1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala1/4 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chilli powder1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp black salt optional - can be switched with reg salt1/4 tsp black salt optional - can be switched with reg salt
• salt and black pepper to tastesalt and black pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves1-2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

• In a bowl add the curd and whisk until smooth.
• Add all the spices like sugar, chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds powder, red chilli powder, black salt, salt and pepper along with 1/4 cup water and mix well.
• Next add the boondi -
• If you like crunchy boondi in your Raita don't soak the boondi and add it just before serving.
• If you like the soft kind you soak it in warm water for 10 mins, drain and then add to the spiced yogurt.
• Or add it to the yogurt directly and let it sit for some time. With this method, you will need to add more water/milk since the boondi will absorb the liquid to swell.
• Adjust the raita consistency adding water or milk for richer taste
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

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Step by Step Method: 
In a bowl add the curd and whisk until smooth. Add all the spices like sugar, chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds powder, red chilli powder, black salt, salt and pepper along with 1/4 cup water and mix well. Next add boondi - If you like crunchy boondi in your Raita don't soak the boondi and add it just before serving. If you like the soft kind you soak it in warm water for 10 mins, drain and then add to the spiced yogurt. Or add it to the yogurt directly and let it sit for some time. With this method, you will need to add more water/milk since the boondi will absorb the liquid to swell.
Adjust the raita consistency adding water or milk for richer taste. Garnish with coriander leaves.

That's it, our easy and delicious Boondi Raita is ready, Serve it as a side with your favorite Pulao. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Shweta