Bhurni Raita | Spiced yogurt

This is a very famous condiment served as a sauce or dip or salad in North India. There are several ways of making Raita .

Towards South India (especially in Kerala), the preparation of a raita differs with the meal we serve. For a proper vegetarian meal(also known as Sadya. Picture is here), the yogurt dip or sauce is Pachadi. And if it is a Kerala style Chicken Biriyani or a Fish biriyani or a Mutton Biriyani , the raita will be a simple onion tomato yogurt sauce (recipe is here).

The spices used in South India is entirely different from what North Indians use. This is raita is a garlic flavored yogurt sauce..It is the perfect accompaniment to Biryani or pulao or jeera rice. The recipe is very simple 🙂

You need,
1. Yogurt/Thick Curd – 2 cup
2. Cumin/Jeera Powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Garlic crushed – 1 tsp
4. Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Salt – to taste

You have to,
1. Whisk yogurt with garlic and salt
2. Reserve a bit of red chili powder and cumin powder , add the rest into the yogurt
3. Pour it in a serving bowl and sprinkle with the cumin and chili powder (which was reserved ) on the yogurt

Notes:

• You could reduce the garlic.
• Red chili powder can be replaced with pepper powder.
• You could add boondi (Fried chickpea flour pearls which is spicy) towards end. That will make this a boondi raita

An old picture 🙂