Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Chane aur Aloo ka Raita
Chane aur Aloo ka Raita (Potato, Yoghurt & Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Raita)

Chane aur Aloo ka Raita

Potato, Yoghurt & Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Raita
Vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 2½–3 hours, plus soaking and chilling timeCook 1½–2½ hoursMakes 1 litre / 1¾ pints (4 cups)

A refreshing, savoury yoghurt side dish packed with tender chickpeas and diced potatoes. Roasted spices and tamarind give it a cooling, tangy flavour with gentle heat.

Spices for the raita

6 gStirred into the yoghurt mix (step 3)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeraroasted and ground
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
1.7 g1 teaspoon
spice
03
2 g2 chillies
spice
Mix together evenly.

Everything else

02
507 g500 ml
dairy
03
150 g1 potato
vegetable
05
4.2 g1 teaspoon
sweetener
06
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Place 200 g dried chickpea into a large bowl, cover with ample water, and leave to soak overnight.
  2. Drain the soaked chickpeas and tip them into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours until completely tender, then drain and leave to cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 507 g plain yogurt, the drained chickpeas, 1 potato (cut into cubes), 15.6 g tamarind extract, 4.2 g granulated sugar, salt to taste, and the spices for the raita, stirring thoroughly to coat.
  4. Place the raita in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Don't have something?

Dried chickpea
  • Chana dal

    Use equal dry weight; soak for 30 minutes instead of overnight. Cooks much faster and produces a softer, creamier texture rather than firm, whole beans.

  • Dried red kidney bean

    Soak overnight and boil until tender; use equal dry weight. Provides a similarly meaty, sturdy bite, though with an earthier flavour and darker gravy.

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.

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 seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Dried red chilli
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Boiled potato
  • Potato

    Boil until just tender, same weight, then cool and peel; texture and cooking behaviour are almost identical.

  • New potato

    Use same weight; waxy new potatoes hold shape better in curries, so simmer gently.

  • Sweet potato

    Use same weight but expect a sweeter taste and softer mash; reduce further cooking to 5 minutes.

Tamarind extract
  • Tamarind

    Use 180% of the weight of compressed tamarind; soak in three times its weight of boiling water for 15 minutes, knead, and strain out the thick pulp.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 35% of the weight dissolved in two tablespoons of warm water. Provides sharp tang, though the resulting sauce will be lighter in colour.

  • Lemon juice

    Use equal weight, added right at the end of cooking. Adds sharp acidity without the deep brown hue or pulpy thickness.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Similar dishes

Ghashhi
Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Curry from Mangalore
Ghashhi is richly nutty, savory, and far more intensely sour and spicy, lacking the cooling, sweet-and-creamy profile of this dish.
  • Same: Ghashhi shares the base of chickpeas, dried red chillies, coriander seeds, and tamarind with this dish.
  • Different: Ghashhi is a cooked, hot curry made with fresh coconut, vegetable oil, turmeric, curry leaves, and mustard seeds, omitting the yoghurt, cumin, and sugar used in this raita.
Aloo Chholey
Potato & Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Snack
Aloo Chholey tastes earthier and more sharply tart, lacking the sweet, cooling creaminess of this dish.
  • Same: Aloo Chholey also combines chickpeas and potatoes seasoned with cumin, coriander, and chilli.
  • Different: Aloo Chholey is prepared as a dry snack without yoghurt, tamarind, or sugar, relying instead on lemon juice and amchoor for acidity.
Sindhi Karhi
Gram (Chickpea) Flour in Tamarind Curry
Sindhi Karhi is hotter, more robustly spiced, and sharply sour, lacking the cooling creaminess that yogurt gives this dish.
  • Same: Sindhi Karhi shares potatoes, chickpea elements, tamarind extract, cumin seeds, and dried red chillies with this dish.
  • Different: Unlike this cold, oil-free raita made with whole chickpeas and yogurt, Sindhi Karhi is a hot stew cooked in vegetable oil with chickpea flour, tomatoes, fresh ginger, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, and asafoetida.
Batata Vada (Indian Kitchen)
Deep-Fried Spiced Potato
Batata Vada is crisp outside and soft, savoury, gently hot, and citrusy inside, while this dish is cooling and tangy from yogurt and tamarind with gentle heat.
  • Same: Batata Vada and this dish both use potato and chickpea, and both include cumin seed and salt.
  • Different: Batata Vada uses chickpea flour as a coating and is deep-fried with garlic, curry leaf, asafoetida, turmeric, and lemon juice, while this dish is a yogurt-based raita with dried chickpeas, tamarind extract, sugar, coriander seeds, and dried red chilli.