Onion raita is a tasty and satisfying yogurt-based side dish of subcontinent region. It is made with freshly whisked yogurt, sliced onions and flavored with selective spices. Quick and easy to whip up in 5 to 10 minutes. Easily complements any meal, due to its cooling and refreshing qualities.
What is Onion Raita Recipe?
Traditional onion raita is a staple and highly popular side dish in my home town Pakistan. Every restaurant offers it as a complimentary with main course, and it’s also enjoyed with nearly every meal at home. It’s usually served with spicy food to even out the taste and spices. People love to eat it with biryani, pulao, kebab and tempting snacks.
This yogurt sauce is flavorful, creamy and slightly spicy. The Preparation of basic yogurt raita recipe (Pyaz ka Raita) involves a few fresh ingredients: smoothly whisked thick yogurt, crisp sliced onions, fresh mint leaves, ground cumin, salt and either ground black pepper or chaat masala for seasoning. Put everything in a bowl and mix. It’s so easy and simple, not rocket science. If you enjoy spicier raita, add chopped green chilies or red chili powder.
Indian onion raita is a flexible side dip that can be enriched with a variety of vegetables, including cucumber, tomatoes and carrots. You can also add fruits such as pomegranate for garnish, along with mint leaves and spices to suit your taste.
How to serve Indian Onion Raita
- With Curry – It pairs well with all spicy Indian curry such as Chicken Handi, Chicken dopiaza, dal tadka etc.
- With Paratha – Enjoy it as a delightful accompaniment to aloo paratha, mooli paratha, and simple rotis.
- With Pulao – Serve it with biryani, pulao, and plain rice to enhance and balance the flavors.
- As a Side Dish: Serve it alongside Indian thali.
- Dip for Snacks: Use it as a dip for finger foods, such as Aloo tikki, pakoras and BBQs for a tangy twist.
Onion Raita Ingredients
- Yogurt – The formation of onion raita always requires fresh, homemade thick yogurt (curd/dahi). Alternatively, you can also add Greek yogurt, but ensure the yogurt is not sour. If the curd is sour, add some milk or cream to it and whisk it well.
- Onion – Always try to choose fresh and less bitter onions. Only choose onions with milder flavors, like shallots and sweet onions. Cut them into thin sliced or diced.
- Mint/Coriander Leaves – Resin the mint leaves properly, drain and chop them finely. You can use fresh coriander instead of mint. Kindly reserve small mint or coriander leaves for garnishing
- Slat – Use whatever you have available Normal salt, rock salt or pink salt. Add according to Taste.
- Green Chilies – If you like a spicier version of Indian onion raita, add green chilies by chopping them. You can also add green chilies without increasing heat. Just slit-cut the chilies and remove the seeds.
- Spices – Here, you have options to choose from. You can add ground cumin, chaat masala or ground black pepper. Add what you like and how much you like.
How To Make Onion Raita
Chopping – First of all, thinly slice the onions and chop the green chilies, mint or coriander leaves.
Whisk Yogurt – Let’s take a large mixing bowl and combine one cup yogurt and a bit water. And mix them well until there is no lump.
Add Spice, Green Chili and Mint leaves – Now, impart salt, gourd cumin and chaat masala, green chili and chopped mint or coriander leaves in it. Whisk all the ingredients well until the curd is smooth.
Add Onion – Next, mix in one medium size sliced on in the bowl and mix it until well combine with other ingredients
Garnishing – Garnish it with mint leaves or coriander leaves and green chili. It’s ready to enjoy immediately or store it for future use.
How to Store Refreshing onion raita
- Airtight Container – I always use airtight containers to avoid odors from other foods, which can change the taste of onion raita.
- Room Temperature – Avoid leaving the onion raita at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Store it – Please store the riata in the refrigerator only for one to two days maximum. After two days, the onion starts to become bitter, which can destroy the freshness of the yogurt. Also avoid freezing it.
- Mix Riata Before Serving – Stir the stored raita well just before serving. Water may separate slightly in yogurt, so mixing is important before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Chill Before Serving: Raita tastes best when served chilled.
- Onion and Yogurt Quantity – Normally, we add one cup of yogurt and half cup of sliced onion. You can adjust it as per your preference.
- Add Milk or Cream – If your yogurt is sour add milk or cream in the yogurt instead of water.
- Whisk the yogurt – Before adding the onion, mix in the spices and adjust the yogurt’s consistency by thoroughly whisking it.
Key Features of Onion Raita
- Easy to Make – It’s easy and quick to make with just a few common ingredients. Also perfect for adding to meals on busy days.
- Easy to Customize – It can be customized with various herbs, spices, and additional ingredients like cucumber or tomatoes.
- Budget-friendly – All the ingredients for pyaaz ka raita have low cost and easily found at home or nearby grocery store.
- Digestive – Yogurt and cumin provide probiotics that help in digestion.
- Cooling Effect – Homemade onion raita cool your body and ease the spiciness of meals.
- Flavorful and Refreshing – The combination of yogurt, onion and spices gives the simple onion raita a refreshing and tangy flavor profile that will enhance any meal experience.
- Nutritional Value – It provides calcium from yogurt and vitamins from added veggies.
FAQs
What are the ingredients used to prepare onion raita?
Onion raita is made with thick homemade or Greek yogurt and thinly sliced onion with chopped mint or coriander leaves. Different spics are used to season it such as salt, ground cumin powder, chaat masala or black pepper powder. Add chopped green chilies if you like more heat.
What is raita?
Raita is a thick, creamy yogurt sauce or side dip prepared with yogurt, different veggies, and spices. It is a very popular Indian dip. Some famous raitas are onion raita, onion tomato raita, cucumber raita, and boondi raita.
Is onion raita healthy to eat?
Onion raita is good for health because it helps with digestion and strengthens the immune system. However, minor adjustments are necessary for individuals with heart conditions and diabetes because of full fate yogurt and spices.
What’s the difference between raita and tzatziki?
Raita is an Indian condiment made with yogurt, spices, and vegetables like onion or cucumber. It is not too thick and is made with regular plain yogurt. On the other hand, Tzatziki is a Greek sauce combining yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and olive oil and made with thicker Greek yogurt.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Onion raita is a side dish. It takes very less time to prepare. It is crafted with sliced onion, yogurt (curd), salt, green chilies, and coriander leaves. Yogurt is also known as “dahi” in Urdu or Hindi.
Thick Dahi (yogurt) is used to form different types of riatas, such as tomato, cucumber, and potato raita. Onion raita is a popular side dish for biryani, pulao, or different Indian meals.
Onion raita is generally considered good for health. It is a low-calorie, probiotic-rich dish that aids digestion and provides nutritional benefits. A single serving of onion raita contains 60 to 80 calories. Ingredients like yogurt, onion, and spices have low calories.
Still if you have any question in your mind! Don’t hesitate and ask me, I am here to answer you.
Onion Raita Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
Materials
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 1 Medium onion Chopped
- 1 Piece Green Chili Chopped
- 1 Tea Spoon Coriander leaves Chopped
- ½ Tea Spoon Salt
- ½ Tea Spoon grounded Cumin Powder
- ½ Tea Spoon Chaat Masala
Instructions
- Chopping – First of all, thinly slice the onions and chop the green chilies, mint or coriander leaves
- Whisk Yogurt – Let’s take a large mixing bowl and combine one cup yogurt and a bit water. And mix them well until there is no lump.
- Add Spices, Green Chili and Mint leaves – Now, impart salt, gourd cumin and chaat masala, green chili and chopped mint or coriander leaves in it. Whisk all the ingredients well until the curd is smooth.
- Add Onion – Next, mix in one medium size sliced on in the bowl and mix it until well combine with other ingredients
- Garnishing – Garnish it with mint leaves or coriander leaves and green chili. It’s ready to enjoy immediately or store it for future use.
