Boondi Raita

Boodi raitha is the easiest side dish which anyone could make. Raita is an Indian condiment made of yougurt mixed with spices and cilantro leaves. Vegetables like carrot, cucumber, tomatoes and even fruits like pineapple are commonly used. In this recipe I have used boondi. 

Boondis are small, crispy, fried droplets made of gram flour (chickpea flour). Although they are available in all Indian grocery stores, its very easy to make it at home. The boondi raita is so special due to the crunchiness of the boondi and the cooling effect of the yougurt and the mild spices that gives an exotic taste. I learnt this recipe from my mom Geetha Sundaram. She often  makes this kind of raita at home and it's my husband's favourite too.

Ingredients:
chickpea flour(gram flour)- 1/2 cup
water
oil to fry the boondi
yogurt- 2 cup
red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
chat masala- 1 tsp 
cilantro (corriander leaves) to garnish

Preparation:

Mix chickpea flour with water to a  dosa batter like consistency. Heat the oil in a pan enough for deep frying. Hold the boondi karandi ( a ladle with small holes) on top of the hot oil and spread the chickpea batter on it. Fine droplets of chickpea batter falls through the holes of laddle in to the oil. Fry the boondi until golden brown and drain it to remove excess oil. Take yogurt in a bowl and beat them. Add salt and mix well. Add the boondi and sprinkle the chilli powder and chat masala on top. Garnish with cilanto.

Suggestion: Boondi raita is served as one of the best condiment for Pudina pulav.