Burani Raita

Vegetarian

Burani raita is a chilled yogurt dish flavoured with roasted garlic, cumin and black pepper, with fresh coriander on top. It is creamy, garlicky and lightly spiced.

Raita masala

1.1 gStirred into the whisked yogurt (step 6)

Cumin seed · Jeera

0.5 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Black pepper · Kali Mirchcoarsely ground

0.6 g¼ teaspoon

spice

Grind the cumin coarsely; leave the pepper as it is.

Everything else

Garlic · Lehsunskin on

12 g4 cloves

aromatic

Vegetable oil · Tel

4.5 g1 teaspoon

oil/fat

Yogurt · Dahi

259 g250 ml

dairy

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Coriander leaves · Dhaniafinely chopped

1.5 g1 tablespoon

herb

Method

Heat the oven to 170°C/325°F.
Grind 0.5 g cumin seed coarsely; set aside with 0.6 g coarsely ground black pepper.
Put 12 g garlic, skin on, on a piece of foil, add 4.5 g vegetable oil and wrap loosely.
Roast on a baking tray for 30 minutes, then cool slightly.
Whisk 259 g yogurt with 50 ml water in a bowl until smooth and lump-free.
Stir the raita masala and sea salt to taste into the yogurt.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin into a mortar, add a pinch of sea salt and crush to a paste.
Stir the garlic paste into the raita.
Scatter over 1.5 g coriander leaves and chill before serving.

Don't have something?

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.

Garlic

Garlic paste
Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.
Garlic powder
Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.
Shallot
Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

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.

Yogurt

Plain yogurt
Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single cream
Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Black pepper

Black peppercorn
Use the same weight and crush or grind as the recipe needs; whole peppercorn is the same spice.
Ground black pepper
Use the same weight; add nearer the end if the recipe calls for whole pepper, as ground loses aroma faster.
Ground white pepper
Use about 75–80% of the weight; it is milder and earthier, with less bite.

Coriander leaves

Coriander (cilantro) or basil
Use the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.
Basil leaves
Use the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.
Coriander paste
Use 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Similar dishes

Sarson Ki Chutney (Tandoori Home Cooking)

Mustard Chutney

It tastes hot, tangy and slightly sweet from mustard, chilli and sugar, while this dish is creamy, garlicky and lightly spiced.

Same: Sarson Ki Chutney shares yogurt, garlic and vegetable oil with this dish.
Different: Unlike this chilled raita, it is a thick mustard-seed chutney with green chilli, caster sugar and turmeric, finished with poured turmeric oil and only a small amount of yogurt.

Shallot & Ginger Raita

Shallot & Ginger Raita tastes sweeter and fresher with shallot, ginger and mint, while this dish tastes more garlicky and peppery and is only lightly spiced.

Same: Shallot & Ginger Raita and this dish are both creamy yogurt raitas flavored with cumin seed and fresh coriander and seasoned with sea salt.
Different: Shallot & Ginger Raita uses Greek yogurt, chopped banana shallot, fresh ginger, mint and caster sugar, while this dish uses plain yogurt, roasted garlic, black pepper and vegetable oil and has no shallot, ginger, mint or sugar.

Curd Rice (Indian Kitchen)

Curd Rice tastes mild and tangy with warm cumin, chilli and curry leaf, while this dish is creamier, garlicky and lightly spiced with black pepper.

Same: Curd Rice shares yogurt, cumin, vegetable oil, salt and coriander with this dish, and both are cooling and creamy.
Different: Curd Rice has cooked rice, much more vegetable oil, green bird’s eye chilli and curry leaf, while this dish has garlic and black pepper and no rice.

Pineapple Raita

Pineapple Raita tastes sweet and fruity, while this dish is creamy, garlicky and savory.

Same: Pineapple Raita shares yogurt, cumin, black pepper and coriander leaves with this dish.
Different: Pineapple Raita adds canned pineapple and sugar and lacks this dish's garlic, vegetable oil and sea salt.