Boondi ka Raita (also known as Dahi Boondi) is a delicious raita made with yogurt, small fried chickpea flour balls, and spices. It pairs perfectly with Indian meals like biryani, pulao, or parathas.
Raita is a popular accompaniment; it plays an important part in enhancing any Indian dinner. I love making a variety of raitas at home, with some of my favorites being onion tomato raita, avocado raita, and cucumber raita. Today, I'm sharing another family favorite raita recipe: Boondi Raita.
Boondi Raita is a quick and easy dish popular in North Indian cuisine. Made with minimal ingredients like yogurt, crispy boondi, and a few spices, it comes together in just 10 minutes.
Here are more ways to incorporate boondi into your meals,
Ingredients
- Yogurt (curd): Use fresh thick homemade yogurt.
- Boondi (chickpea flour pearls): I have used store-bought plain Haldirams Boondi. You can also use spiced boondi.
- Spices: I used roasted cumin (jeera) powder, red chili powder, black pepper, chaat masala (optional), and black salt (or regular salt).
- Sugar: Adding a little sugar complements the tanginess of the black salt. If you prefer your raita on the savory side, feel free to skip the sugar.
How to Make Boondi Raita
Soak ½ cup of plain boondi in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Then, gently squeeze the boondi between your palms to remove excess water and oil.
This step is optional, you can also add the dry boondi directly to the yogurt. But soaking for a few minutes helps reduce excess oil, making the boondi lighter and more enjoyable.
Whisk 1 cup of homemade yogurt (curd) in a large mixing bowl until smooth. If the yogurt is too thick, add ¼ cup of water and whisk again until you achieve the desired consistency.
Add spices like ½ teaspoon roasted jeera powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala powder (optional), ½ teaspoon sugar (optional), black salt (or regular) to taste, black pepper powder to taste, and 1 tablespoon coriander leaves. Mix it very well.
Next, add soaked boondi and mix well.
Serve boondi ka raita chilled with vegetable biryani or pulao.
What to Serve with Boondi Ka Raita?
Boondi raita is a perfect accompaniment to be served with parathas along with Indian curries, or dals (lentils). This easy raita recipe also complements paneer biryani, spinach pulao, and jeera rice.
Storage Suggestions
Boondi Raita tastes best the day it is made. However, you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
I do not recommend freezing, as dairy products do not freeze well. Generally, the texture of yogurt changes upon thawing.
Expert Tips
- Soaking boondi in hot water is optional. However, it helps to remove excess oil from the boondi.
- Add the boondi to the yogurt just before serving to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- Adding milk to the yogurt prevents it from turning sour. If you're using fresh yogurt, you can skip this step.
Variations
- Boondi Variety: I've used plain salted boondi for this recipe. If you're using spiced (kara) boondi, adjust the spices accordingly.
- Vegan version: You can use the non-dairy yogurt of your choice, such as plain almond milk yogurt or coconut yogurt.
- Vegetables: To make bundi raita extra nutritious, vegetables like carrots, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes can be added.
- Herbs: You can also enhance the boondi raita recipe by adding finely chopped mint (pudina).
- Consistency: If the raita becomes too thick, add more milk or water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raita is a fantastic digestive and weight-loss help. However, since boondi is deep-fried and contains too much salt, adding it to raita might increase the calorie intake.
More Indian Raita Recipes
Boondi Raita (Dahi Boondi)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt (curd)
- ½ cup boondi (chickpea flour pearls)
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- â…› teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon chat masala optional
- ½ teaspoon sugar (or jaggery) optional
- black salt (or salt) as per taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Soak the boondi in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Then, gently squeeze the boondi between your palms to remove excess water and oil. This step helps to make the boondi less oily and more enjoyable.You can skip this step and add dry boondis directly to the yogurt.
- Whisk the yogurt (curd) in a large mixing bowl until smooth. If the yogurt is too thick, add ¼ cup of water and whisk again until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Add spices like roasted jeera powder, red chili powder, chaat masala powder, black pepper powder, sugar, black salt, and coriander leaves. Mix it very well.
- Next, add soaked boondi and mix well.
- Serve chilled with vegetable biryani or pulao.
Notes
Tips
- Soaking boondi in hot water is optional. However, it helps to remove excess oil from the boondi.
- Add the boondi to the yogurt just before serving to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- Adding milk to the yogurt prevents it from turning sour. If you're using fresh yogurt, you can skip this step.
Variations
- Boondi Variety: I've used plain salted boondi for this recipe. If you're using spiced (kara) boondi, adjust the spices accordingly.
- Vegan version: You can use the non-dairy yogurt of your choice, such as plain almond milk yogurt or coconut yogurt.
- Herbs: You can also enhance the boondi raita recipe by adding finely chopped mint (pudina).
- Vegetables: To make boondi raita extra nutritious, vegetables like carrots, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes can be added.
- Consistency: If the raita becomes too thick, add more milk or water.
Note:Â Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
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