Raita is a popular Indian dish that is usually served at the end of full-course meals, both at lunch and dinner. Usually, it is made with curd and various other ingredients that can help in easy digestion of foods. This cuisine can be prepared very easily and available in various tasty flavours.

Raita is a traditional cuisine that is popular all over the Indian subcontinent, for its interesting taste. The curd or yogurt is the main ingredient of this food, which is mixed with several vegetables or fruits, as well as many common Indian spices. People like to have this dish with both rice and bread, which are two staple foods of this vast region. It can be prepared in a very short time and considered as a healthy way of ending meals that consist of rich foods.

Advantages provided by the raita recipe for food lovers

Homemade curd or yogurt is termed as Dahi in India, which is made by fermenting the milk. This thick, white food has a mild sour taste that is caused due to the presence of some good bacteria. These bacteria help to digest foods in the intestinal tract while releasing the least amount of energy. Since Dahi is the basic ingredient of raita recipe, people get the health benefits of curd intake from this food.

Usually, vegetables like cucumber, tomato, onion, green chilli, mint leaves, and coriander leaves are added in raw state into the curd, to form the raita. Some vegetables are sliced and boiled in water to soften them, among which carrot, potato, bottle gourd, and beet are most widely in the raita preparation method of different flavours. All these vegetables are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and B12, Vitamin C, Sodium, Potassium, and many other useful minerals that are good for human health.

Some delicious fruits, like banana, mango, pear, pineapple, guava, grapes, and pomegranate are also used for making sweet and healthy raita, mainly for children. Cumin, ginger, garlic, black mustard, and black pepper are the common spices that are usually added in most of the varieties of raita. There are many health benefits of applying these spices in raita cooking technique, which encourage health-conscious people for consuming this food.

All the ingredients used in making raita contain negligible amounts of saturated and unsaturated fats. Thus, there is very less chance of rising cholesterol level in the body, after taking this healthy food. Hence, it is always prescribed in the diet of overweight people, for fulfilling their appetite while producing the least fat energy.

Generally, cucumber raita, mint raita, boondi raita, and pineapple raita are the most popular varieties that are widely served with Biriyani, parathas, and many other rich Indian dishes.

This author is interested in writing food blogs on various foods. Here, he shares his knowledge about the varieties of raita recipe and its health benefits for the foodie and even overweight people.