Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Arabi ka Raita
Arabi ka Raita (Colocasia (Taro Root) Raita)

Arabi ka Raita

Colocasia (Taro Root) Raita
Vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 25 minutesMakes 1 litre / 1¾ pints (4 cups)

Crisp, pan-fried colocasia rounds folded into cooling, spiced yogurt. It offers a contrasting mix of crunchy and creamy textures with smoky cumin and mild heat.

Spices for the raita

3.4 gWhisked into the yogurt (step 3)
01
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice
02
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
Leave the roasted cumin seeds whole or crush lightly, then blend with the chilli powder.

Everything else

01
Colocasia · Arbiboiled and peeled
300 g6 corms
vegetable
02
114 g125 ml
oil/fat
03
507 g500 ml
dairy
04
to taste
salt
05
to taste
herb

Method

  1. Gently flatten each of the 6 boiled and peeled colocasia between your palms into thick discs.
  2. Warm 114 g vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or wok set to medium heat. Fry the colocasia for roughly 2 minutes on each side until deeply browned and crisp, then transfer with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  3. In a wide serving bowl, whisk 507 g plain yogurt, salt to taste, and the spices for the raita until thoroughly combined.
  4. Toss the fried colocasia into the spiced yogurt, finish with coriander leaf to garnish, and serve.

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Colocasia
  • Potato

    Use the same weight. Peel, cut into similar pieces and parboil for 5 minutes before adding; it cooks faster than colocasia, so add later and simmer 10–15 minutes. The dish will be less sticky and nutty.

  • Sweet potato

    Use the same weight. Peel and cut into chunks; it softens faster and turns sweeter, so reduce cooking time by about 5 minutes and adjust sugar or tamarind if the recipe has any.

  • Indian yam

    Use the same weight. Peel, cut into pieces and cook 5–10 minutes longer than colocasia; it holds its shape well but is less slippery.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Plain yogurt
  • Yogurt

    Use equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.

  • Coconut milk

    Use equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.

  • Single cream

    Use 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Similar dishes

Ajwaini Arabi
Ajwain-flavoured Colocasia (Taro Root)
Ajwaini Arabi has a rich, peppery, and buttery flavor instead of the cooling, tangy creaminess of this yogurt-based dish.
  • Same: Ajwaini Arabi also features pan-fried colocasia seasoned with chilli powder and salt.
  • Different: It is fried in ghee rather than vegetable oil and uses ajwain and asafoetida while omitting the yogurt, cumin, and coriander leaves used in this dish.
Masala Arabi
Spicy Colocasia (Taro Root)
Masala Arabi is much more pungent, warm, and intensely spiced, whereas this dish tastes cooling, creamy, and mildly smoky from cumin.
  • Same: Masala Arabi also features taro root as the main ingredient, combined with yogurt and fresh coriander leaf.
  • Different: Masala Arabi is cooked in ghee as a warm, sauced dish with ginger, green chillies, ajwain, asafoetida, turmeric, and ground coriander, using far less yogurt than this cold, oil-fried raita.
Rajasthani Arabi
Colocasia (Taro Root) in Yoghurt Sauce
Rajasthani Arabi is warmer, more pungent, and heavily spiced, rather than cool, creamy, and mildly smoky like this dish.
  • Same: Rajasthani Arabi also combines fried colocasia (taro root) with yogurt, vegetable oil, and chilli powder.
  • Different: Rajasthani Arabi simmers the fried taro in a cooked gravy seasoned with ginger, garlic, turmeric, cloves, black cardamom, ajwain, and garam masala, omitting the cumin seeds and fresh coriander used in this raita.
Dum ki Arabi
Slow-cooked Colocasia (Taro Root)
Dum ki Arabi tastes rich, deeply spiced and savory from its onion-yogurt gravy, while this dish tastes cooling and creamy with crisp taro, smoky cumin and mild heat.
  • Same: Dum ki Arabi and this dish both use colocasia, vegetable oil, yogurt, cumin seed, chilli powder and salt.
  • Different: Dum ki Arabi is a slow-cooked curry with onion, boiled onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, bay leaf, black cumin seed, nutmeg, black cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground coriander and turmeric, while this dish is a raita of pan-fried colocasia folded into yogurt without onion, garlic or whole spices.