Ash Gourd Raita is a healthy and delicious accompaniment made from winter melon (ash gourd) and yogurt.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 2 minutes
  • Total time: 12 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ash gourd (winter melon) (shredded, (about 300 grams))
  • 1/2 cup yogurt (whisked)
  • salt (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (chopped)

Tempering

  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal (optional)
  • few curry leaves
  • 1 green or red dry chili
  • a pinch hing (asafoetida)

Method

  1. 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.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
  3. Then add green (or red) chilies, curry leaves, asafetida (hing), and saute for few seconds.
  4. 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.
  5. Healthy Ash gourd raita recipe is ready, serve chilled.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.