Ash Gourd Raita, also known as Poosanikai Thayir Pachadi, is a healthy and delicious South Indian accompaniment made with winter melon (ash gourd) and yogurt. It pairs wonderfully with rice or roti.
Ash gourds are a staple in South Indian kitchens, and I enjoy making a variety of dishes with them, including ash gourd juice, sambar, and majjige huli. With their numerous health benefits, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try.
Today, I am sharing Ash Gourd Raita recipe made with only ash gourd, yogurt, and tempering. It's a perfect accompaniment to Indian meals and is ready in less than 10 minutes.
In Tamil Nadu and other regions, some people blend ¼ cup of fresh coconut, 2 green chilies, and ½ teaspoon of jeera to a smooth paste and add to this raita. It's also known as Poosanikai Thayir Pachadi. It is incredibly delicious and can be eaten as a side dish with steamed rice.
This refreshing raita is known by different names across South India: Poosanikai thayir pachadi in Tamil, Kumbalkayi mosaru bajji in Kannada, Budugumbalakai pachadi, and Boodidha gummadi kaaya perugu pachadi in Telugu. I love making raitas with a variety of vegetables like zucchini raita, lauki raita, beetroot raita, and broccoli raita.
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Ingredients
- Yogurt (curd): Use homemade or store-bought full-fat plain yogurt (curd) for this raita.
- Ash gourd (winter melon): Choose a gourd with pale green or dark rind, firm, and heavy for its size. You can also find pre-cut pieces of ash gourd at Indian grocery stores.
- Tempering: Coconut oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilies, hing, and curry leaves.
- Fresh Herbs: I used fresh coriander leaves.
How to Make Ash Gourd Raita
First, wash the ash gourd thoroughly with water. Next, remove the seeds and the soft center of the ash gourd. Peel the skin and grate it using a box grater or food processor.
For this recipe, you will need just 1 cup of grated ash gourd.
Heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
Then add 1 green (or red) chilies, 1 stalk of curry leaves, 1 pinch of asafetida (hing), and saute for a few seconds. Keep it aside.
Whisk ½ cup yogurt (or curd) in a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup grated raw ash gourd and the tempering (tadka) along with some salt. Taste to ensure the seasoning is to your liking.
Note: In this recipe, I did not cook the ash gourd. However, you can also sauté grated ash gourd on the stovetop or microwave it for 2-3 minutes on high, checking in between.
Garnish with 1 tablespoon coriander leaves. The healthy ash gourd raita is ready. Serve chilled.
How to Serve Ash Gourd Raita
Serve it as an accompaniment with any variety of flavored rice dishes like lemon rice, carrot rice, or veg pulao. It also pairs well as a side dish with chapatis, plain steamed rice, and sambar.
Expert Tips
- You can sauté the grated ash gourd for a few minutes along with the tempering on the stovetop, or microwave it for 2-3 minutes, checking in between until it’s done. I used raw shredded ash gourd in this raita, and it tasted great!
- You can store the leftover raita in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Variations
- For this raita recipe, you can either grate or finely chop white gourd into ¼-inch cubes.
- Another variation is to blend ¼ cup of fresh coconut, 2 green chilies, and ½ teaspoon of jeera to a smooth paste and add to this raita. It is also called Poosanikai Thayir Pachadi in Tamil Nadu.
- To make this ash gourd yogurt recipe Keto-friendly, use Greek yogurt or hung curd.
More Raita Recipes
Ash Gourd Raita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup ash gourd (winter melon) shredded, (about 300 grams)
- ½ cup yogurt whisked
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
Tempering
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal optional
- few curry leaves
- 1 green or red dry chili
- a pinch hing (asafoetida)
Instructions
- Firstly, Wash the ash gourd with water. Remove the seeds and center soft part of the ash gourd. Peel the skin and grate the ash gourd using the box grater or food processor.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
- Then add green (or red) chilies, curry leaves, asafetida (hing), and saute for few seconds.
- Whisk the yogurt or curd in a mixing bowl. Add grated raw ash gourd and the tempering (tadka) along with some salt. Taste at this stage to make sure the amount of salt and spices are enough.Note: In this recipe, I did not cook the ash gourd. However, you can also sauté grated ash gourd on the stovetop or microwave it for 2-3 minutes on high, checking in between.
- Healthy Ash gourd raita recipe is ready, serve chilled.
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- You can sauté the grated ash gourd for a few minutes along with the tempering on the stovetop, or microwave it for 2-3 minutes, checking in between until it’s done. I used raw shredded ash gourd in this raita, and it tasted great!
- You can store the leftover raita in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Variations
-
- For this raita recipe, you can either grate or finely chop white gourd into ¼-inch cubes.
- Another variation is to blend ¼ cup of fresh coconut, 2 green chilies, and ½ teaspoon of jeera to a smooth paste and add to this raita. It is also called Poosanikai Thayir Pachadi in Tamil Nadu.
- To make this ash gourd yogurt recipe Keto friendly, use Greek Yogurt or hung curd.
Nutrition
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