Healthy Recipes To Cool Your Summer: Raita Recipes

If you are an Indian born and brought up in the mainland of India then there is no doubt that you might have more than once come across ‘raita’ in your lifetime. This rich condiment is made out of dahi (yogurt) and cooked with cooked or raw vegetables and sometimes fruits are added to the mixture. There exist several variants to the raita, with yogurt as its base the raita can be made with different ingredients to create unique variants to the raita.

Raita Recipe | Image Resource : shutterstock.com

Like many famous dishes, the raita origin is also heavily debated on, many claim and believe raita recipes originated from the Indian subcontinent, with influences extending to the countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan and Nepal. The raita is often enjoyed alongside flatbreads, biryanis and parathas etc. The raita possess a cooling effect upon consumption making it a great addition to most Indian meals that use spices quite generously.

Variants To The Raita

• Boondi Raita recipe - fried balls made of gram and flour are soaked in water to increase size and then cooked alongside spiced yogurt to make this famous north Indian raita. The raita recipe drains the boondi of all crispiness so what left is the raita with soft boondi that melts in your mouth.
• Cucumber raita - Cucumber just like yogurt has a soothing effect on the body upon consumption making it a great dish to serve during hot summer months.
• Fruit raita - the natural sweetness of fruits cooked alongside yogurt make this raita recipe very healthy for your body while also being very tasty.
• Vegetable raita - cooked often in Indian homes, vegetable raita like the name suggest is raita cooked alongside vegetables, vegetables can be pre-cooked or raw according to your preferences
• Pomegranate raita - like the fruit raita, the pomegranate raita makes for a unique raita recipe due to the pomegranate original taste complimenting the yogurt when cooked alongside making it a unique culinary experience.
• Palak Raita - palak or spinach is used in this raita. Spinach holds a lot of medical value and is a healthy choice of ingredient. It also has a unique appearance compared to other raita appearing greenish.
• Onion and tomato raita : an Indian favourite, you can find this easy to make raita almost everywhere in the subcontinent. 
• Makhana raita - this organic raita recipe consists of phool makhana also known as fox nuts. Rich in calcium, phosporones, zinc, thiamine, iron and carbohydrates, makhana raitas are eaten for its high nutritional value. It is an organic dish which means all of its ingredients were grown organic without the use of fertilizers or pesticides.
• Lauki raita : lauki or bottle gourd is a key ingredient in this recipe.