This boondi raita recipe makes a cooling crispy North Indian yoghurt dip or side dish that’s textured with ‘boondi’, crunchy little fried chickpea flour balls that can be bought from an Indian grocer, given a kick of spice with chaat masala, Kashmiri chilli powder and ground cumin, and garnished with fresh coriander sprigs for fragrance. Serve boondi raita as you would a classic cucumber yoghurt raita, as a cooling crunchy dip or refreshing side to spicy curries and biryanis.
If you’re having a casual gathering at home with friends over the holidays, consider Indian food – especially if you’re in the northern hemisphere, where the idea of a warming curry is more appealing than the oysters, shrimp toast, crab salad, and bowls of mussels we’ve been tucking into here in Australia, where it’s been sweltering.
I love the thought of serving this rich Indian Burmese curry with this Burmese coconut rice, papadams, chilli and lime pickles, and a spicy mango chutney. If you’re feeding a crowd, you could add this Punjabi chole or chickpea curry and tamarind eggplant, two recipes by our friend, Australian chef Christine Manfield. Of course, you’ll want a cooling accompaniment, such as a classic cucumber raita or you could try this fancier boondi raita recipe. More on that below.
But before I tell you all about this boondi raita recipe, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo. You could buy a handcrafted KROK, the best mortar and pestle ever; book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith; or buy something on Amazon, such as a cookbook for culinary travellers or classic cookbook for serious cooks.
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Boondi Raita Recipe for a Crispy Cooling North Indian Yoghurt Dip
Terence and I have been eating and cooking Indian food for decades, in Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, where we lived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which has a substantial Indian expat population. We had Indian friends and colleagues at work, and we regularly ate Indian out and ordered Indian takeaway to eat at home.
We ate everything from affordable Indian vegetarian food and dirt-cheap Indian thali platters at humble backstreet workers’ eateries in our Abu Dhabi neighbourhood to fancier Indian restaurants in Dubai, such as Asha’s, which attracted wealthy Indian expats to the popular chain owned by Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle.
And we ate all of India’s wonderful cuisines, from the south to the north. We had two favourite Indian restaurants in Dubai that we dined at regularly, one with bright tropical decor that specialised in Southern Indian food and the often-fiery curries of Goan cuisine that were rich, creamy and spicy.
The other favourite was a dimly-lit Northwest Indian restaurant specialising in the Mughlai cuisine of the Mughal Empire. Decorated with heavy wooden furniture, it was frequented by a dubious clientele of Indian ‘businessmen’ more interested in the dancers and excellent band, who always looked thoroughly bored, but were still utterly wonderful.
We know and love our Indian food. Yet I have to confess that until my friend Lubna introduced me to boondi raita and shared her boondi raita recipe, I’d never heard of boondi raita, let alone tried this elevated version of a raita. I can imagine my American friends calling a ‘loaded raita’.
Of course, there are a world of Indian raita recipes beyond the basic yoghurt and cucumber raita: there’s raita with tomato, raita with potato, raita with spinach, and a whole array of other ingredients, such as eggplant, pumpkin, ‘sev’ from the Bombay Mix snack, and boondi, also written as ‘bhoondi’, another popular fried snack.
A cooling, refreshing yoghurt-based dish, raita can be considered to be a dip, sauce, side dish or even salad, depending on its consistency, how it’s served, and what you’re serving and eating the raita with. Raita is nothing if not versatile, and according to my friend Lubna, everyone has their own way of preparing and eating boondi raita.
Boondi raita can be served as a dip with papadams or flatbreads, such as naan, paratha, roti, or chapati or as a cooling accompaniment to spicy curries, savoury biryanis, and grilled kebabs. But, just as a more substantial vegetable raita is a salad of sorts, that’s also how boondi raita can be eaten.
Hailing from Northern India, boondi raita is distinguished by a gentle blend of spices and dried mint whisked through the yoghurt, and ‘boondi’, crispy fried little chickpea flour balls or gram balls (as chickpea flour is also called gram) that give this raita a crispy texture, although some people prefer soft boondi. More on that in the tips below.
Just a few quick tips to making this boondi raita recipe.
Tips to Making this Boondi Raita Recipe
I only have a few tips to making this Indian boondi raita recipe as it’s easy to make and comes together quickly, but let’s start with the ingredients.
Ingredients
Unlike a simple Indian cucumber raita, which contains less spice, the key ingredients of a boondi raita recipe are yoghurt, spices and boondi.
Yoghurt
The all-important ingredient of any raita recipe is yoghurt and this boondi raita recipe is no exception. Note that yoghurt in India is also called curd. As with any raita, it’s best to use an all-natural whole milk yoghurt, either full fat or reduced fat yoghurt.
If you’re making raita with full fat yoghurt, you might want to thin it out with water or milk for a lighter consistency. My Indian cook friend, Lubna, thins her raita out with a little milk, but she says that the use of milk or water is a personal preference, just as a thin or thick consistency is.
Spices
This boondi raita recipe calls for chaat masala, ground cumin, Kashmiri red chilli powder, black pepper, black salt (or Himalayan pink salt or sea salt), and dried mint.
We can find all these ingredients at an Australian supermarket, such as Coles or Woolworths. They’re all stocked at both supermarkets here in Bendigo, where I’m currently staying and caring for my mother. Although there is a sizeable Indian community in Bendigo.
If there are a few ingredients that you might not easily find, it might be the black salt (which is actually pinky-grey colour; Lubna says to use Himalayan pink salt or sea salt instead); chaat masala, a ready-made spice blend sold in packets; and Kashmiri red chilli powder (just use any finely ground red chilli powder.)
But you’ll find all products at a specialist Indian supermarket or Indian grocer. You can also buy Indian black salt and chaat masala and Kashmiri red chilli powder online, including Amazon.
Boondi
You’ll find ‘boondi’ or ‘bhoondi’, crispy little fried chickpea balls, sold either plain or spiced (it will say ‘masala’ on the packets) at an Indian grocer or specialty Indian supermarket. I found boondi at two Indian specialty shops here in Bendigo, before spotting boondi at Coles Supermarket, where they were actually cheaper.
Step-By-Step Process
This boondi raita recipe is quick and easy and takes just ten minutes to make, but here’s a quick outline of the process. Or you can scroll directly down to the recipe.
First, you’ll prepare the yoghurt: to a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the yoghurt and whisk for a minute or so to remove any lumps and create a smooth consistency. If it’s too thick, add the optional milk and whisk to ensure it’s well-combined.
Next, you’ll combine the spices: to the same bowl, add the chaat masala, ground cumin, chilli powder, black pepper, salt, and dried mint, and whisk again to combine.
Lastly, you’ll add the boondi to the bowl, and here it’s important to note that my friend Lubna says that some people prefer a softer boondi and others a crunchier. Having tried both, I prefer crunchy boondi.
But for a soft boondi raita, you can soak the boondi in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Then, when the bondi is soft, they can be poured into a fine mesh strainer to drain, and you can gently squeeze them with your hands to remove any excess liquid, before adding them to the spiced yoghurt mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Otherwise, for a crispier boondi raita with more texture, skip that step and simply stir the boondi into the spiced yoghurt, and stir to well combine.
Taste the boondi raita and adjust it for your preferred texture and flavour. Add more milk for a lighter consistency, and more spices and seasoning for more flavour, but remember: like a classic cucumber raita, boondi raita is still intended as a cooling accompaniment to dishes, so don’t over-do the spices.
Lastly, sprinkle on some chaat masala and dried mint, garnish with fresh coriander, and serve immediately, as a dip with a chutney and/or relish with paratha, papadums, roti or your favourite Indian flatbreads, and or as a side dish to biryani and spicy curries.
Boondi Raita Recipe for a Crispy Cooling North Indian Yoghurt Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups yoghurt - natural, plain whole milk yoghurt
- 1 cup Boondi - and more for garnishing
- ½ cup milk - optional, or more or less, as you like
- 1 tsp chaat masala - plus more for sprinkling on top
- ½ tsp ground cumin - roasted in a pan
- ½ tsp red Kashmiri chilli powder - or any ground chilli powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp black salt - or Himalayan pink salt or sea salt, or more to taste
- ½ tsp dried mint - plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander sprigs - for garnishing
Instructions
- To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the yoghurt and whisk for a minute. If it’s too thick, add the optional milk and whisk to ensure it’s well-combined.
- To the same bowl, add the chaat masala, ground cumin, chilli powder, black pepper, salt, and dried mint, and whisk again to combine.
- Add the boondi to the bowl, stir well to combine, taste, and adjust for your preferred texture and flavour: add more milk for a lighter consistency, and more spices and seasoning for more flavour, but remember: like cucumber raita, it’s still intended as a cooling accompaniment to dishes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. For crunchy boondi, sprinkle on some chaat masala and dried mint, and garnish with fresh coriander, and serve immediately. If serving soft bondi (see notes above) you can refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve as a dip with paratha or papadums and chutneys and relishes or as a side dish to biryani and spicy curries.
Notes
Nutrition
Please do let us know if you make this boondi raita recipe in the comments below as we love to hear how our recipes turned out for you. And if you’re Indian and have your own boondi raita recipe, we’d love to know how you prepare it.
