Carrot Raita | Carrot Yogurt Dip

Raita is a whipped yogurt condiment, mixed with vegetables or fruits and seasoned with cilantro, mint, chaat masala and other herbs and spices. It goes well with paratha, biryani, kabab or just as a dip with any spicy meal. Similarly, Carrot raita is a simple yogurt dip, prepared with grated raw carrot, yogurt and seasoned with mint, pistachios, chaat masala and served alongside Indian meals.

Raita has so many variations, you can add any vegetables or fruits into it. It can be sweet, salty or savoury. I added grated raw carrot but you can make raita of almost anything you like. To make a good raita use a full, fresh, thick yogurt. You can also use greek yogurt if you like. It totally depends on your choice.

I love to make carrot raita during the sizzling days of summer. It’s refreshing, looks super fancy and tastes great! The carrots make the raita lighter, healthier and fun to drink. There are more ingredients which you can add but they are totally optional. You can also use it as a spread on the bread or as a salad dressing.

The ingredients couldn’t be any simpler - yogurt, raw carrot, pistachios, mint, salt, and sugar. You could also use cilantro instead of mint for garnishing. It’s high in protein and get ready in just 10 minutes.

Did you know carrot is rich in vitamin A, B8, C and other nutrients like potassium, folate, iron, copper and manganese. There are several other nutrients that are found in yogurt as well like vitamin b2, b12, calcium, iron and magnesium. They are great for immunity, digestion and strong bones.

Carrot raita

Serves: 4-5 People

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 cups yogurt, thick
1/4 cup milk or water, to adjust the consistency
1-2 tsp of pistachios, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin, roasted
1/2 tsp chaat masala, optional
2-4 mint leaves, garnish

Method

1. In a big bowl, whisk yogurt till smooth. Add milk or little water to adjust the consistency. Give it a nice mix.

2. Add, grated raw carrot, some pistachios into the yogurt. Mix. Cover with a lid and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours.

3. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add salt, cumin, chaat masala and sugar. Garnish it with pistachios and mint. Serve!

Notes

1. You can use regular or greek yogurt in your raita, both will work well. I prefer using a thick and regular one.

2. Add 1/4 cup of milk or water to adjust the consistency of the raita.

3. I love adding salt and sugar in the same ratio. You can adjust the ratios, according to your preferences.

DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Dahi vada on a plate! Couldn't resist sharing all the yumminess we gobbled up! This is my first post of 2018 so I think I should start it with something sweet and savory, so what's better than Dahi vada.

Dahi vada is an Indian street food that is usually served in stalls but can be easily made at home. It's a popular chaat in North India served along with mint and tamarind chutney. There are different versions of this snack made in the other parts of the country as well like dahi bhalla in Delhi, thayir vadai in Tamil Nadu, perugu garelu in Andhra Pradesh and many more.

These deep fried lentil balls, made from urad dal batter are bathed in thick beaten yogurt with a drizzle of mint and tamarind chutney. They are so light, fluffy and melt in your mouth so good.

My Mom makes this traditional dahi vada on special occasions as my family is a die-hard fan of this snack. It's one traditional dish that always grab attentions from our guests.

You need just a few ingredients to make these delicious vadas. Soaked urad dal, ginger, green chillies, salt and cumin. Simply add all the ingredients, and blend the soaked urad dal to a smooth batter and deep fry over medium flame. Let it cool down a little, and put them into a large bowl of water and squeeze out the excess water and transfer to thick beaten yogurt. Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy....!!

DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Soaking time: 3-4 hours
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-5 people
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1.5 cup - urad dal
1 cup - yogurt
1 inch ginger, grated
2 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon - salt or as per taste
1/2 teaspoon - cumin powder
1 cup - water
1/2 teaspoon - baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Soak urad dal : Wash 1.5 cup of urad dal under running water. Add water, preferably 2 times of the volume of the beans. Cover and place it in a bowl and soak it for atleast 3-4 hours. Drain the soaking water and rinse it with fresh water.

2. Grind into a smooth batter : Add dal, ginger, green chillies, salt, cumin powder, 1 cup of water into a grinder and make a smooth batter. Remove the batter to a bowl. Add baking soda and mix well. Let it rest for some time.

3. Beat until it's smooth : Beat the batter until light and fluffy. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

4. Whisk yogurt : Meanwhile take fresh yogurt. Whisk it till it gets smooth. Keep it in the refrigerator.

5. Fry the vadas : Heat the sufficient oil in a deep pan for frying the vadas. Once the oil is hot, spoon in the small sizes of the mixture, spaced apart. Fry over medium heat on both sides, until golden brown about 2 minutes. (You may need to do this in 2-3 batches). Spread the vadas on a sheet and let it cool on a room temperature.

6. Soak the vadas in water and squeeze out the excess water: Take a large bowl of water and soak these vadas into them for 5-10 minutes. Then, take each vada in your hand and gently squeeze out the excess water.

7. Pour the whisked yogurt: Place these vadas in the serving bowl and pour the whisked yogurt.

8. Garnish and Enjoy: Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy! I don't like to add sev to this, as I prefer it to be simple but you are free to add if you like it.

 
NOTES

1. Add baking soda in the urad dal batter to increase the fluffy texture.

2. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

3. Before pouring whisked yogurt on the vadas, soak the vadas into the water and gently squeeze out the excess water.

4. You can make it sweet and spicy by adding sev and chutneys.