Boondi raita is a yogurt based dish made using spice powders and crisp fried boondi. This spicy crunchy side dish can be served in any Indian meal or served as a snack.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 4 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 minutes
  • Total time: 4 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup curd ((plain yogurt, chilled))
  • ¼ teaspoon salt ((or black salt, adjust to taste))
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder ((roasted jeera powder, adjust to taste))
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder ((or green chilli chopped))
  • 2 pinches Black pepper (optional)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon chaat masala ((optional) (do not use if curd is sour))
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves ((finely chopped))
  • ⅓ cup boondi ((or ¾ cup to make soft boondi raita))

Method

  1. Add yogurt or chilled curd to a mixing bowl.
  2. Add salt, cumin powder, red chili powder, pepper, chaat masala and coriander leaves. You can also skip chaat masala and add few drops of lemon juice if the curd is not sour.
  3. Whisk everything well until smooth. If using store bought yogurt, you may need to add 2 to 3 tablespoons water.
  4. Option 1 - If you like soft boondi in the raita, add ¾ cup boondi to 1½ cups of warm water and rest until soft, for 5 mins. Drain to a colander and gently squeeze to remove excess water. Add to the yogurt. Option 2 - If you like crunchy boondi raita, add it directly to the whisked yogurt.
  5. Mix well and taste test. Add more salt and cumin powder if needed. To adjust the consistency, add more yogurt or boondi as per your taste.
  6. Garnish boondi raita with little spice powders, more boondi and coriander leaves.
  7. Serve with your meal, biryani or enjoy as a snack.

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.