Boondi Raita Recipe for a Crispy Cooling Spiced North Indian Yoghurt Dip
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.
Servings: 4
Calories: 95kcal
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- serving bowl
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
This recipe makes a boondi raita with a crunchy texture, but for a softer boondi raita, before adding the boondi to the spiced yoghurt mixture, soak the boondi in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Then, when the bondi are soft, they can be poured into a fine mesh strainer to drain, gently squeezed to remove any excess liquid, and added to the spiced yoghurt mix.
Nutrition
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 0.4mg