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. 

Pudina Pulav/ Mint Rice

Mint is one of the herbs which grows like a weed and is perfectly safe for use. It is excellent in reducing symptoms related to digestion. Pudina pulav is very easy to make and it takes only 20 minutes for preparation. My aunt Parvathy who is in  Rwanda often used to make this recipe along with boondi raita and I love them.

Ingredients:
Mint leaves- 2 small bunch
Basmati rice- 2 cups
coconut milk - 1 cup
water- 1 cup
cinamon stcks -2 (1 inch)
green chillies- 2
ginger- 1 inch
cardamon- 3
cloves- 3
kala jeera- 1/2 tsp
fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp
Bay leaf- 2
salt to taste
hing- a pinch
few cashew nuts
ghee- 2 tsp

Preparation:

Soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes. Wash the mint leaves thoroughly and grind them with ginger, green chillies, clove and cardamom. Heat ghee in a pan. Add kala jeera, fennel seeds, cinamon stick, bay leaf, hing and add the ground paste and fry them for two minutes. Drain the rice and add water, coconut milk and the pudina paste. Add salt and cook the rice in a rice cooker. Once the rice is cooked fry the cashewnuts in ghee and add it to the mint rice. Serve the pudina rice with boondi raita.