Today I am going to share my first Raita recipe, the key ingredient of which is Makhana. Hence we call the raita as Makhana Raita.
Before we begin with the recipe, let us know a bit about Makhana.
Makhana are actually puffed Lotus seeds. They are known as Phool Makhnas in Hindi and in English we call them as Puffed Lotus Seeds, Fox nuts and Euryale ferox. These seeds are often used in quite a few Indian sweets and savouries like kheer, raita or makhana curry, and are also eaten as an evening tea-time snack. These small little balls are a power house of nutrition and can prevent several diseases.
Pulav with raita and Parathas with raita are a deadly combination and we cannot imagine to have Pulav and Parathas without any kind of raita. Boondi raita, vegetable raita etc are common. But today we are going to try Makhana raita with our main dish.
The ingredients required for preparing it are very easily available in any Indian household. Here is the list for your reference.
INGREDIENTS :
(1) 1 cup of chilled Curd / Yogurt
(2) Half cup of Makhana / Foxnut
(3) 1 green Chilli, minced
(4) half inch sized Ginger, finely chopped
(5) Black Salt as per requirement
(6) Raita powder / Garam masala powder / Chaat masala powder (Any one out of these)
(7) Kashmiri lal mirch powder
(8) 2 tablespoons of Ghee for roasting the Makhana
For Tempering :
(1) 2 pinch of Asafoetida / Hing powder
(2) 1/4 teaspoon of Mustard seeds / Rai
(3) 1 sprig Curry leaves, finely chopped
(4) 2 tablespoons of Cooking oil
Note : When preparing Makhana raita during Vrat, please do not add Asafoetida / Hing powder and also use Black Salt / Sendha Namak.
Cuisine : Indian
Course : Side dish
Serves : 1 person
Time required : 20 minutes
All ingredients set aside.
METHOD :
(1) Heat ghee in a pan.
(2) Add Makhana and roast on a medium flame until they are crisp.
Keep stirring continuously. Remove the roasted Makhana in a bowl and let them cool.
(3) Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour the curd on the strainer and strain it. We are doing this to remove any lumps that are in the curd. Collect the smooth curd in the bowl. You can also whisk the curd instead of using a strainer if you prefer.
(4) Now to the smooth curd add minced green chillies, finely chopped ginger and black salt as per need.
Add roasted Makhana as well. Mix well.
After mixing ….
(5) Sprinkle a pinch of Raita powder / Chaat masala / garam masala (any one of this that you have) and Kashmiri lal mirch powder. Mix well.
After mixing …
(6) You may or may not temper the Raita. If you do not want to temper the Raita, then at this step it is ready.
(7) In case you want to temper the Raita, here is how to prepare the tempering.
Place a tempering ladle on the gas stove and switch on the flame.
Add 2 tablespoon of Cooking oil.
When the oil is warm add 1/4 teaspoon of Mustard seeds / Rai and allow them to crackle.
Then add Asafoetida.
Immediately add chopped Curry leaves.
Immediately turn off the gas flame. The tempering is ready.
(8) Pour the tempering on the Raita. Mix well. Within 10-20 minutes the Makhana will soak the curd and the Raita would be ready.
(9) Sprinkle a pinch of Raita powder / Chaat masala / garam masala (any one of this that you have) and Kashmiri lal mirch powder for garnishing. You may also add a little chopped Coriander leaves as garnish. I did not have Coriander leaves, so have not added.
(10) Serve the delicious raita with your favourite paratha or with pulav.
