Onion raita is a cooling yogurt side dish or dip that's almost essential with spicy Indian food like curries, biryani and kebabs. This is an easy no-cook recipe that you can make in ten minutes flat with ingredients that you will probably already have in your fridge and pantry.
This raita recipe makes for a great pairing with keema naan.
Try this beetroot raita too for a fun version!
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Why this onion raita recipe works
There's nothing more soothing than a simple chilled raita to accompany rich food like biryani, pulao, korma and even sabzi (curried vegetables). I cannot imagine having this chicken korma or this keema biryani for instance, without onion raita.
The crunch of raw onions in cold, whisked yogurt is like a blast of freshness that offsets the spice and heat perfectly. Ultimately, it's the contrast of flavors and textures that work so well. It's quite a sensory experience, to be honest!
🥘Ingredients
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
- Plain yogurt, full-fat
- Red onions
- Sea salt, to taste
- White sugar, a pinch - to counter the sourness of the yogurt
- Kala namak - this is a kind of rock salt, pink in color. Adds a lot of flavor to the raita.
- Cumin (optional) - roasted and ground to a semi-fine powder
- Cilantro or mint leaves
🔪Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt until it is smooth and free of lumps. You can add a few tablespoons of cold water to thin it out a bit.
- Finely chop the red onions or dice them into small pieces.
- Add the salt, sugar, kala namak, and ground cumin (if using) to the yogurt and whisk.
- Add the chopped onions, mix well, and top with cilantro and mint. Raita is ready!
💭Top tips
- Do make this raita with plain Indian yogurt or dahi. Here in Canada, I use the Nanak brand available in most Indian and Pakistani grocery stores and also in some Superstores and Walmarts. This is slightly different in taste than the flavored yogurt varieties available in most supermarkets. It is also not as thick and has some whey in it, which is perfect for making raita.
- I especially do not recommend Greek yogurt for this recipe as it will change the taste completely.
- Red onions work best for this recipe. Choose onions that are small in size and firm to the touch for crunchy, juicy flavor. Too large, old, or soft onions will not give good results. However, if they are too sharp, put the chopped onions in a colander and rinse them in running water to get rid of the bite.
- Kala namak is easily available in most Indian or Pakistani groceries. You can leave this out if you don't have it though.
- Finally, it is very easy to prep the cumin if you want to add it to the raita. Take some cumin seeds (about 2 tablespoons) in a small frypan and dry roast them over medium heat, stirring them to prevent burning. As soon as the seeds change color and turn fragrant, take them off the hob and allow them to cool down. Then simply grind the seeds in a spice or clean coffee grinder to a semi-fine powder. You will need only one teaspoon of cumin powder, but you can store the rest in a sealed glass bottle in your pantry for a few weeks and use as required.
- Most raita recipes also call for green chillies, and you can certainly add one or two chopped green chillies if you don't mind the heat. For me, adding green chillies defeats the purpose of raita as it is supposed to relieve the heat of spicy food not add to it! That being said, it is totally a personal preference, so go with what you like and prefer.
Chicken recipes to serve raita with
- Madras Chicken - A hot and bold chicken curry deeply flavored with spices
- Achari Chicken - A chicken curry made with Indian pickling spices
- Palak Chicken - Boneless chicken and spinach leaves simmered in an onion-tomato gravy
- Chicken Biryani - Tender chicken-on-bone, saffron, cashews, whole spices and long grain basmati rice come together in a delicious medley!
- Chicken Pulao - Not as flamboyant as biryani but very tasty, one-pot chicken and rice dish that's sure to please.
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📖 Recipe
Onion Raita (Pyaz ka Raita)
Ingredients
- 1 cup yogurt
- ½ cup red onions chopped or diced finely
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak or pink rock salt
- ½ teaspoon roasted and ground cumin optional
- 3 tablespoon cilantro or mint leaves chopped
Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt until it is smooth and free of lumps. You can add a few tablespoons of cold water to thin it out a bit.
- Add the salt, sugar, kala namak, and ground cumin (if using) to the yogurt and whisk.
- Add the chopped onions, mix well, and top with cilantro or mint.
Notes
- Make onion raita with Indian yogurt or dahi. Do not use flavored yogurt or Greek yogurt.
- Use small, firm red onions, not yellow or white ones.
- If the onions are too sharp, chop or dice them, then rinse them in cold water before adding to the yogurt.
- Kala namak is available in Indian or Pakistani groceries, but you can omit it if you can't find it.
- You can add roasted cumin to the raita too. See the body of the post if you want to know how to roast and grind cumin.
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