Boondi Raita In Minty Yoghurt Sauce
Boondi Raita Dhania Chatni Valae
Mamta Gupta
This raita came about accidentally. One day I was making the usual Boondi raita and a jar of fresh mint-coriander chutney was sitting next to it. So I simply added some of it to the raita yoghurt. It tasted really great and this raita was born, at least in our house.
Boondi raita is one of the most traditional North Indian raitas, served as part of festive meals and at traditional wedding feasts in Uttar Pradesh (Northern Province). It is easy to make, especially if you buy ready-made 'boondies', available at most Indian grocers. Boondies are tiny, round, crisply fried droplets of besan or gram flour batter. The Hindi word 'boond means 'a drop' and boondi means 'like a drop'. They look a bit like rice crispies.
Also see Raita Selection.Ingredients
Serves 4-8
Ingredients
1 cup of ready-made Boondies, available at most Indian stores
1 1/2 cups natural yoghurt or dahi. Full cream is better
1 tsp. chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. or more of the Green Mango/Apple Chutney
1/2 tsp. roast cumin seeds*, coarsely ground.
Instructions
Soak 1 small cups of Boondies in 2-3 cups of hand warm water for 10-20 minutes. They should become soft.
Squeeze water out gently between two palms. Or simply leave them in a strainer for the water to drain away.
Keep aside.
Add mint chutney, salt, chilli powder and cumin powder to the yoghurt in a bowl.
Beat gently to mix everything. The yoghurt should be of a custard consistency. If it is too thick, add a little milk or water to thin it. Boondies absorb a fair amount of water.
Add the mint chutney to the yoghurt and gently fold it in.
Add the boondies and gently fold them in.
The raita should be of custard consistency.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chilli powder and coarsely ground roast cumin. You can also sprinkle a few chopped coriander or mint leaves and chopped green chillies as a garnish.
Serve chilled.
To roast cumin seeds, heat a heavy bottomed frying pan or iron skillet. Put half a cup of cumin seed on it and dry fry with a wooden spoon until they become darker in colour and you can smell the aroma of roasting aroma. Take out of the pan onto a plate immediately, otherwise they will continue to cook and burn quickly. Cool and grind coarsely. Store in an airtight jar.
Raita can also be tempered tarka): Heat 1 tsp. oil in a ladle, add mustard seeds, 6-7 curry leaves and 2-3 small, whole red chillies. When seeds splutter, pour over the raita.
