Boondi Raita Recipe
Boondi Raita is one of the popular Indian Raita recipes to prepare with tiny chickpea flour balls soaked in spicy yogurt. This easy boondi raita goes very well with biryani or pulao, at the same time, a great accompaniment with stuffed parathas.
Raita is an integral part of Indian meals and often served as a side dish with rice recipes and a variety of paratha recipes. If tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, then it becomes a south Indian style of raita known as pachadi.
What is boondi?
Boondis are tiny gram flour balls, little salty and spicy, which you can make at home but easily available in the market and ready to use. They come in two variants, sweet boondis which are used in making boondi laddus and savory or masala boondi, which are used to make this raita.
How to make boondi for raita?
To prepare boondi at home first chickpea flour batter is prepared with salt and red chili powder. This batter is then allowed to pass through a perforated ladle (ladle with multiple small holes) over hot oil pan. By tapping the ladle small droplets of batter falls in the oil. Fry them until they look crisp and yellow in color.
These plain boondis are used to make raita. Soaking plain boondis in sugar syrup to sweeten them and called as sweet boondis.
What is boondi raita?
Indian boondi ka raita is very simple and has two main ingredients, just mix boondi in creamy whisked yogurt with few easily available spices.
You can make raita with masala boondi as well, make sure you adjust spices accordingly as they are already spiced up.
Tips to make best Indian Boondi Raita
There are a few tips to take care of, if you want to make the best boondi raita at home.
- Use thick creamy curd or yogurt. In case you like thin consistency then add water accordingly.
- Use milk if yogurt is sour, milk helps in diluting the yogurt and reduce the sourness.
- Add chopped mint leaves to make it more flavorful.
- Just add roasted peanut before serving for extra crunch.
- Don’t use very old boondi in raita as it smells very bad if kept for a longer time.
- Use masala boondi and adjust spices. Raita from masala boondi taste a bit spicy.
Ingredients of boondi ka raita
- Main Ingredients – 1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup plain boondi
- Spices – 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder, salt as per taste, 1/4 cup water or milk, 1/4 tsp black salt
- Sweetener – 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- Garnishing – 3 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped coriander,
How to make boondi raita
There are two ways to make it. In one way boondi is soaked in warm water for a minute. Squeeze gently and then add in whisked curd. This process is done to remove excess oil and to make soft, creamy and melt in mouth raita.
The second way is to make quick boondi raita. Just add boondi directly in spiced yogurt and serve. I prefer to make the second way as boondi are crunchy comparatively and with roasted peanuts, it makes an amazing twist.
- First of all, whisk the yogurt until smooth consistency. Adjust thickness by adding water. Use milk if yogurt is sour in place of water.
- To this add roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, black salt, adjust salt as per taste. Add sugar if you like sweeter raita(completely optional).
- Add boondi at the end before serving and garnish with roasted peanut and chopped coriander.
- Keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes and serve with biryani or parathas.
Check some more variety of raita recipes to go with day to day meals. There are a number of ways to make raita by adding fruits like mango, apple, strawberry, by adding vegetables like onion, grated carrot, tomato, palak (spinach) and potato.
- Apple raita –
- Cucumber Raita –
- Burani Raita –
- Onion Raita –
- Mango raita – Chopped mango pieces combined with spiced yogurt. It goes very well with biryani or mint paratha.
- Lauki Raita – Boiled or steamed lauki or bottle guard mixed in thick creamy curd with few pantry staples. Paired well with ajwain paratha or any Indian flatbread.
Enjoy raitas with biryani or stuffed parathas like paneer paratha, gobhi paratha, aloo paratha, peas paratha, mooli paratha. You can check all paratha recipes here which will go well with these raita recipes. A perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner recipe combination.
Boondi Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- 1/2 cup Boondi (I used pain boondi, you can use masala boondi as well)
- 1/4 tsp Red chili powder (replace it with green chili finely chopped)
- 1/4 tsp Cumin powder
- 3 tbsp Roasted peanut
- 1/4 tsp Black salt
- 1 tsp Sugar completely optional
- salt as per taste
- 1/4 cup Water (use milk if yogurt is sour)
- 1 tbsp Green coriander chopped finely
Instructions
- First of all, whisk the yogurt until smooth consistency. Adjust thickness by adding water. Use milk if yogurt is sour in place of water.
- To this add roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, black salt, adjust salt as per taste. Add sugar if you like sweeter raita(completely optional).
- Add boondi at the end before serving and garnish with roasted peanut and chopped coriander.
- Keep it in the fridge for an hour and serve with biryani or parathas.
Nutrition
If you like crunchy boondi then add just before serving. Or soak in warm water for 1 minute. Squeez and then add to whisked yogurt.
Simply add everything together in whisked yoghurt and stir. Serve immediately.
Boondi is made of chikpea flour.
If you are on diet then avoid adding boondi. Being deep fried not considered as healthy as it will increase you fat macro.
I like your twist to make ordinary boondi raita more interesting – will have to try it this way next time!
Raita looks so tasty.. all time fav.
Looks delicious !
This is the most commonly made raita in my home. You have given it a nice twist by adding roasted peanuts
Boondi raita is my favorite to pair with aloo sabzi and poori. Looks so yummy.
I have never added peanuts to boondi raita. I am sure the added crunch makes it taste better.
Am yet to make this Boondi raita at home. Though raita is our favourite side dish for briyanis, am sure this boondi raita will definitely please my family’s tastebuds.
This is such an easy raita and tastes so good with rice or paratha.
Boondi Raita is the most common Raita in most homes , but the best ! It’s quick , and can be customised as per choice . I like the addition of peanuts in it .
Ah though this is a simple dish surely adds flavour to the meal!
love this tweak to the usual cucumber raita…………! yummmm…….goes well with all pulaos too……