If you've eaten at an Indian restaurant, I'm sure you've had raita - a creamy, Indian yogurt sauce served with warm spices and crunchy aromatics like onions. This boondi raita has warming spices like cumin as well as crunchy, deep fried chickpea flour balls (aka boondi!) It's a great complement to Indian meals and comes together in 5 minutes.
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- This boondi raita recipe is a great variation of a traditional Indian raita!
- Crunchy, creamy, and salty - all the perfect flavor combinations you'd want alongside a delicious Indian meal (try pairing this with a homemade naan and some chana masala - you won't regret it!)
- Comes together in five minutes, great as a healthy dip!
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need Indian yogurt (dahi), black salt (or regular kosher salt), cumin powder, chopped onions, chopped green chilis, fresh cilantro / coriander leaves and boondi (i.e., chickpea flour balls). You can also add garam masala or chaat masala for additional flavor.
Notes and Variations
- Indian yogurt versus American or Greek yogurt: Indian yogurt is made with a slightly different process, has slightly higher fat content, and is a bit more sour than your traditional American yogurt. Greek yogurt is closer in consistency (since it is yogurt that has been strained to remove water content). Since you're whipping the yogurt to make raita, I recommend picking up Indian yogurt from a local Indian store or using a low-fat regular American yogurt.
- Salt versus black salt: Black salt (aka kala namak) is a type of salt found in India (and many of your local grocery stores) that provides an almost sulfuric, egg-like taste to the dishes it's added to. Regular or Himalayan pink salt will work in this recipe in a pinch, but black salt elevates it!
- Boondi: Boondi are deep fried chickpea flour balls that can either be salty or sweet. I like Haldiram's brand boondi (likely available at your local Indian grocery store). You'll see it in vacuum sealed packets (great snack on it's own)! If you can't find boondi, you can also fry chickpeas (check out this roasted chana recipe if you want to go this route!)
- Cumin powder, and other warming spices: I typically use just cumin powder but depending on your taste, you can also add other spice powders (like garam masala or chaat masala), or even a pinch of cayenne or red chili powder!
📖 How to make boondi raita
- Add Indian yogurt to a mixing bowl.
- Add black salt and ground cumin to the mixing bowl.
- Use a balloon whisk to get the yogurt smooth and creamy.
- Add chopped onions, green chili peppers, and cilantro and fold it into the yogurt.
- Add the boondi to whipped yogurt directly if you like your boondi crispy. If you want it soft, soak the boondi in warm water (not hot water!), wring out excess water and then add to the yogurt. Using hot water can make the boondi too soggy.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and curry leaves (or even mint leaves!)
Check out a few other raita recipes to mix things up a bit below!
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
Here are three tips to get the right consistency with boondi raita:
- Use the right yogurt and a balloon whisk. If you're unable to find Indian yogurt, use a low-fat regular yogurt, vegan yogurt, or add a couple of tablespoons of milk to a full-fat yogurt to get it to a silky smooth consistency. Chunky yogurt doesn't work!
- Adjust the spices and ingredients to your liking. Don't want onions or green chilis? You can leave it out. Want to add more spice? Add a pinch of red chili powder or cayenne. Want to make it warmer? Add garam masala or chat masala. It's truly versatile!
- Store boondi in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer if you're not using it right after opening. Add it as fresh as you can if you want crispy boondi. If you want it to be softer, soak it in warm (not hot!) water for 5 minutes and use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze the water out before adding to the yogurt. This also helps get rid of excess oil from the boondi! But be careful not to oversoak or it'll get too mushy.
Common FAQs
Boondi are small water droplet-sized chickpea flour balls. They are typically made with a chickpea batter that's passed through a ladle with small holes, and into a vat of oil and deep fried! Crunchy boondi can be eaten as a snack and comes in different flavors. I typically use unsalted, plain boondi in my raita.
At home, in addition to raita, we use boondi in two ways: "Kara" boondi (spicy boondi), a savory snack that's mixed with spices after frying, as well as sweet boondi, where it's tossed in sugar syrup. It's sometimes shaped into balls called boondi laddu.
Yes! To add tadka (or Indian tempering), add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add half a teaspoon each of black mustard seeds and cumin seeds and once it splutters, add a few curry leaves and some Kashmiri red chilli powder. Sauté for 30 seconds. Pour over raita, but serve chilled.
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
I typically like making this dish fresh and serving it chilled - placing it in the fridge softens the boondi considerably so it becomes soggy. So I don't recommend storing it.
This easy boondi raita is a healthy side that can be served with Indian cuisine to make a hearty meal!
If you like this recipe, check out my other Indian recipes:
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Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Boondi Raita
Ingredients
- 2 cups Indian yogurt
- ⅓ teaspoon black salt, substitute with regular salt or Himalayan pink salt
- ⅓ cup onion, chopped
- 2 green chili peppers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ cup boondi, plain, unsalted
- 3 coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) , for garnish
- 3 curry leaves, for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala, optional
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of yogurt to a large mixing bowl, along with ⅓ teaspoon of black salt and ¼ teaspoon of cumin powder.
- Use a balloon whisk to whip the yogurt to a silky smooth consistency. If you're using a thicker yogurt, add a spoonful of chilled water or milk to get it to a silky consistency.
- Add ½ cup of chopped onion, 2 chopped green chili peppers (Indian or Thai) and 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and fold it into the yogurt.
- Top with ½ cup of fresh boondi for a crispy texture. Or, alternatively, soak the boondi in warm water for 5 minutes and drain with a clean kitchen towel to get softer texture. Add this to the yogurt.
- Top with a few curry leaves and coriander leaves as a garnish, and serve chilled.
Notes
- Use the right yogurt and a balloon whisk. If you're unable to find Indian yogurt, use a low-fat regular yogurt, vegan yogurt, or add a couple of tablespoons of milk to a full-fat yogurt to get it to a silky smooth consistency. Chunky yogurt doesn't work!
- Adjust the spices and ingredients to your liking. Don't want onions or green chilis? You can leave it out. Want to add more spice? Add a pinch of red chili powder or cayenne. Want to make it warmer? Add garam masala or chat masala. It's truly versatile!
- Store boondi in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer if you're not using it right after opening. Add it as fresh as you can if you want crispy boondi. If you want it to be softer, soak it in warm (not hot!) water for 5 minutes and use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze the water out before adding to the yogurt. This also helps get rid of excess oil from the boondi! But be careful not to oversoak or it'll get too mushy.
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