COLD, CRISPY AND TANGY....AN ODE TO THE KING OF RAITAS - BOONDI RAITA

I would like to send this for Sangeeth’s Eat healthy- Calcium rich event, as everyone knows that Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium. In fact, yogurt does milk one better, because its “active cultures” help digest the naturally occurring sugar (lactose) in milk. Everyone knows that a child suffering from Diarrhea is asked to abstain from milk, but it is advisable to eat yogurt when u suffer from diarrhea.

COLD,CRISPY AND TANGY....AN ODE TO THE KING OF RAITAS –

BOONDI RAITA

I could easily make a statement that Boondi raita is one of the most popular raitas. The "King" of raitas. This savory raita, is cold, crispy and tangy and what can be better than that. For those who don’t know, Boondi is a crispy gram flour savory, similar to rice crispies. You can buy boondi from Indian stores and alternatively you can make it at home.

To make Boondi at home

Ingredients:

Gram Flour (besan) – 100 gms

Chilly powder – 1tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil to Fry

Method

Mix the above ingredients with water to a creamy pouring consistency. In a wok heat some oil. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame. Now take a draining spoon and hold with your left hand over the hot oil and with your right hand pour the batter over the spoon and ensure that you don’t drop in one place but move the spoon all round while dropping, you will see that small balls of batter are getting fried in the oil. Keep the flame low and keep frying until the balls are golden and crisp. Remove with a strainer and place on kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Your boondis are ready.

Ingredients

Yogurt – 2 cups

Boondi – 1 cup

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

Red chili powder – 1-2tsps

Chaat Masala – 1-2tsps

Finely Chopped coriander leaves

Method

Use thick cold yogurt. In a bowl add the yogurt and stir well till the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy. Add salt (be careful while adding salt as boondis also have salt), Cumin powder, 1tsp of red chilly powder and 1 tsp of chaat masala and mix well. The chaat masala adds the tanginess to the raita. Add ½ cup of boondi and mix gently. Keep refrigerated. When it is time to serve, you will notice that the Boondis have become soggy, this is how many people like it. But I like mine with some crunch to it, so before serving I add one tablespoon of crunchy boondi and garnish with some freshly chopped coriander leaves and sprinkled with some red chilly powder and chaat masala powder. Serve boondi raita chilled.

Tips: If you feel that the boondis are set with the yogurt when you pull out from the fridge, then u can add some more yogurt in and mix gently with a spatula, to loosen it up.

Some people like to add in the boondi at the time of serving. But I beg to differ, the boondis must be soggy(soaked in the yogurt), so when you put one spoon of this tasteful raita in your mouth not only do you get some of the soggy boondis but also the crispy ones. So I top up the raita with a spoonful of crispy boondis at the time of serving. Enjoy this raita as a side dish or meal accompaniment.

I would also like to send this for Sunita’s Think Spice….Think Cumin event as I have used Toasted Cumin powder in my recipe.