Raita is a side dish in Indian cuisine made of dahi ( yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with raw or cooked vegetables, more seldom fruit, or in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan (chickpea flour, generally labeled as gram flour). The closest approximation in western cuisine is a side dish or dip (food), dip, or a cooked salad. It is often referred to as a condiment, but unlike traditional western condiments like salt, pepper, Mustard (condiment), mustard and horseradish that make dishes more spicy, a dish of dahi or raita has a cooling effect to contrast with spicy curries and kebabs that are the main fare of some Asian cuisines. In Indian cuisine, some type of flatbread may be eaten together with raita, chutneys and South Asian pickles, pickles. The yogurt may be seasoned with coriander, roasted cumin seeds, Mentha, mint, cayenne pepper, chaat masala and other herbs and spices.

Etymology

The word ''raita'' first appeared in print around the 19th century; it comes from the Hindi language. The word ''raita'' in Bengali language and Hindi language, Hindi is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit word ''rajika'' or the derivative Hindi ''rai'' (pronounced "ra-ee") meaning black mustard seed, and ''tiktaka'', meaning sharp or pungent. In South India, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu, traditional raita is called ''pachadi''. In Eastern Nepal, the dish is known as ''dahi kakro'' (), whereas in western regions of Nepal it is known as ''raito''. Raita is also sometimes simply called ''dahi'', or "sourmilk", after its main ingredient, particularly in Indian South Africans, South African Indian cuisine.

Preparation

Cumin (') and black mustard (') are fried. This chaunk, tempering is then mixed with minced, raw vegetables or fruits (such as cucumber, onion, carrot, pineapple, papaya) and yogurt. Raw ginger and garlic paste, green chili paste, and sometimes mustard paste are used to enrich flavour. A variety of raita of India varies from region to region, most notable raithas are boondi raitha—tiny balls of fried gram flour (chickpea flour), which may taste salty or ''tīkhā'' (spicy) and onion raita and vegetable raita. The mixture is served chilled. Raita may cool the palate when eating spicy Indian cuisine, Indian dishes.

Variants

File:Onion Raita.jpg, Onion Raita File:Spring onion raitha.jpg, Spring Onion Raita File:Boondhi raita picture.JPG, Boondi raita File:Beetroot carrot raita picture.JPG, Beetroot and carrot raita File:Raita Bhojpuri Lucknow Uttar Pradesh India.jpg, Boondi Raita Raitas can be prepared with three main base ingredients: vegetables, Pulse (legume), pulses and fruits. These are mixed with yogurt and flavoured with a variety of seasonings to make different types of raita.

Vegetable raitas

# Chenopodium album, Bathua ka raita, popular in Haryana in wintersBathua ka Raita , Haryana and
[Uttar Pradesh bathua recipe , Indian cuisine, masterchefu.com. # Cucumber raita # Lauki (bottle gourd/calabash) raita, popular in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh # Beetroot raita # Brinjal raita # Carrot raita # Chili salt raita, could be chopped fresh chilies or just the dried chili powder # Horned melon raita # Mentha, Mint and peanut raita # Onion coriander spring onion raita # Onion tomato raita # Chukauni, Potato raita # Pumpkin raita # Spinach raita # Garlic mint raita

Fruit raitas

# Banana raita # Mango raita # Guava raita # Grape raita # Pineapple raita # Pomegranate raita # Pear raita

Pulse raitas

Made either from sprouted pulses, roasted pulses or other condiments made from pulse flour. # Bhujia Sev (food), sev raita # Boondi raita # Sprouted green gram raita

Serving methods

As a side dish

Raita is served as a side dish to be eaten with main course dishes. * Biryani * ''Pulav'' (pilaf) * Seekh kabab * Paratha * Pav bhaji * Indian Thali

As a sauce (not traditional)

* Grilled chicken * Salmon * Tacos

As a dressing (not traditional)

* Salads * Pasta salad

References

External links

{{Indian Dishes Indian condiments Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Mughlai cuisine Telangana cuisine Bengali cuisine Punjabi cuisine Bihari cuisine Yogurt-based dishes Kerala cuisine