Heat ghee in a Kadai, add 1 cup of Makhana, and dry roast them on very low heat for 4-5 minutes until they are crisp. Keep stirring them in between so that Makhana doesn't burn.
To check if they are correctly roasted, take one Makhana in hand and crush it. If it breaks nicely with a crunching sound, that means they are perfectly roasted.
Now transfer makhanas to a plate and let them cool.
Whisk curd in a mixing bowl until smooth. Then add the roasted makhana’s, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, sugar, and mix well.
Rest this phool makhana raita recipe for 10 minutes and serve the Makhane ka Raita with jeera rice, pulao, or parathas.
Notes
Tips & Variations
Serve this raita after 10 minutes of adding makhanas. If you are making this raita ahead of time, then refrigerate only the yogurt mixture and add makhanas just before serving else they turn very soggy.
Refrigerate raita until serving time.
Adding milk to the yogurt helps it from turning sour. If you are using fresh yogurt, then skip it.
Sugar balances the heat and the sourness, if you don't want then skip the sugar.
You can slightly crush the makhanas using a hand, blender, or rolling pin and then add them to the raita.
You can also add finely chopped mint (pudina) instead of coriander leaves.
If the raita becomes too thick, add more water.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.