The Humble Raita
Just last night I sat down to a delicious dinner of stuffed ‘tindas’, dal fry, boondi raita and chapattis. As I enjoyed every bite I couldn’t help but recollect those childhood days of the summer vacation. The whole family would gather around the dining table and partake of delightful meals. I remember dinner would be served exactly at 7:30 p.m. My grandmother was very particular about the time we had our breakfast, lunch and dinner. So, after the evening prayer we would tuck in with great gusto. Sometimes, there would be a power failure and we would sit in the light of an oil lantern and candles eating and talking. We would be visited by the flying ants and other insects who would come to peep in our plates and fall into the water glasses. Some would lose their balance and land headlong into the dal or curry in our plates, much to our annoyance. There would be shouts of dismay from my sister and me at their silly curiosity which would get them into trouble or rather let’s say the dal.
I have precious memories of those dinners prepared with great love by my mother. I loved the boondi raita the most at dinner time and always took a second helping of it. Daddy would at times prepare potato raita with boondi in it and I relished this version too. Oh... what lovely days and what wonderful memories of lip smacking raitas.
I’m sure you all must have tasted a ‘raita’ at some time or the other. The ‘raita’ is a condiment of the South Asian cuisine. It’s made of yogurt (dahi) with boondi (made from chickpea flour), raw or cooked vegetables and sometimes even fruit.
The ‘raita’ as a side dish compliments any meal. From accompanying the spicy nawaabi royal biryanis to being a part of thalis to enhancing the taste of buttery paranthas ... raitas are incredible. The raita as we all know has a cooling effect to contrast the Indian Sub-continent’s spicy curries and kebabs.
The yogurt is seasoned very lightly with powdered roasted cumin seeds (jeera), mint (pudina), red chilli powder, salt and other spices. To name a few among the most consumed raitas, are - bathua ka raita (popular in Haryana), cucumber raita, lauki (bottle gourd) ka raita, onion-tomato raita, potato raita, sev raita, boondi raita, pomegranate raita and pineapple raita.
Well... well... well... Raita is also a part of the Hindi idioms – Raita phel gaya – would mean that the situation has been ruined. Talking about language it’s believed the word ‘raita’ comes from the Hindi language. The word ‘raita’ is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit word ‘rajika’ meaning ‘rai’ and ‘tiktaka’ meaning ‘sharp or pungent’. Do you know... in South India the traditional raita is called pachadi? I remember either reading that somewhere or seeing it in one of those food vlogs.
Anyway, if this makes you look forward to a bowl of yummy raita at mealtimes today... give into the temptation! And yes... don’t forget to think of this write-up fondly.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest, City Chef
