Biryani Raita

Biryani raita is the perfect dish to complete your plate of steaming, spicy biryani.

It offers a cooling effect and a delightful texture in contrast to the biryani.

I love having it alongside a plate of veg biryani.

Simple ingredients | Wholesome ingredients that are easy to find

Quick to prepare  | Ready in just 10 minutes

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free |Vegan option available

Raitas are a staple amongst Indian households. It is a popular side dish served with an Indian meal.

Spicy food is balanced with this creamy yogurt as a simple side dish.

While there are many raita recipes, my family particularly loves this special raita served with biryani. The textures add a delicious bite to biryani.

This Indian yogurt sauce can be served with a variety of dishes.  There are a number of variations including newer ones such as Avocado Raita and traditional Boondi Raita, Cucumber Raita, and Onion Raita recipes.

Any type of delicious raita can be used to serve with biryani, but this one is a favorite in my family.  

Why you will love this recipe

Ingredient Notes

Below are the main ingredients notes. Full ingredients and directions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

 

Yogurt – Use full-fat plain yogurt or fresh curd.  It provides a nice consistency.

Greek yogurt tends to be way too thick.  If that is all you have on hand you can add a tablespoon of water at a time until you get a thinner consistency.

Carrot – These offer a contrasting crunch and texture to biryani.  Shredding them is key!

Onion – I used red onions. Feel free to use what you have on hand.

Tomatoes – Gives a nice depth of flavor. 

Green chili – This brings a touch of heat. If you don’t have any on hand you can add in a dash of red chili powder or black pepper powder.

You’re not looking for too much heat, just a little.

Cilantro leaves – A staple ingredient in Indian cooking.  Fresh coriander adds a bright taste so try not to skip the chopped cilantro!

Spices – Roasted cumin powder, salt, and black salt are all you need.  If you cook Indian food often, I’m sure you have these Indian spices on hand.

Optional: mint leaves are delicious and I sometimes add them in when they are in season

Ground cumin seed powder is easy to make if you have whole cumin seeds on hand.

Preparation

Prep: Finely chop the cucumber, red onion, and green chilli. Shred the carrots.

Making It

Chop red onion, tomato, and green chili very finely. 

Chop the coriander leaves. Grate the carrot.

Add yogurt and spices to a bowl. Whisk to mix well.

Add chopped veggies, green chili and cilantro from step 1 to bowl.  Mix to combine well.

Serve raita in a serving bowl.  Refrigerate if not using right away.

Storing

Raita should keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Tip: Chaat masala is also delicious and you could add 1 tsp to this raita for a variation

Serving Suggestions

This raita is especially delicious with different types of biryani. I will soon put up my yummy veg biryani recipe.

Raita can be served with a variety of Indian dishes from rice dishes to even more creative uses like salad dressing, as a great dip, or a samosa dipping sauce.

Try it with some hot Indian Basmati Rice which you can serve as Jeera Rice, an Indian recipe using basmati rice. Raitas are commonly served with pulao and biryani amongst other rice recipes.

Serve with Bhakri, Puri, rotli, paratha, thepla or any Indian bread. It would be great as part of a full Gujarati thali as well!

Add pickles such as Athela Marcha, Carrot Pickle, or Aam Chundo. They are all easy recipes.