Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Karam Kalle ka Raita
Karam Kalle ka Raita (Spicy Cabbage & Peanut Raita)

Karam Kalle ka Raita

Spicy Cabbage & Peanut Raita
Vegetarian●●●Origin NewPrep 15 minutes, plus soaking and chilling timeMakes 750ml / 1¼ pints (3¼ cups)

A crisp, cooling yoghurt relish balanced by crunchy cabbage, fresh green chillies, and fragrant roasted spices.

Raita spices

9 gAdded to the yoghurt and cabbage (step 2)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeraroasted and crushed
6 g1 tablespoon
spice
02
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
Blend together.

Everything else

01
450 g½ head
vegetable
02
Peanut · Moongphaliroasted and crushed
3 g1 teaspoon
nut/seed
03
to taste
herb
04
507 g500 ml
dairy
05
4.2 g1 teaspoon
sweetener
06
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
6 g1 chilli
vegetable
07
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Submerge 450 g thinly sliced cabbage in warm, salted water for 30 minutes. Tip into a colander and let it drain completely for 30 minutes.
  2. Transfer the drained cabbage to a large mixing bowl. Add 507 g whisked plain yogurt, 4.2 g granulated sugar, 6 g chopped green chilli, 1 teaspoon roasted and crushed peanuts, chopped coriander leaf to taste, salt to taste, and the raita spices. Fold thoroughly to coat the cabbage evenly.
  3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Don't have something?

Cabbage
  • Sweetheart cabbage

    Use 100% of the weight. Finely shred; cooks slightly faster than firm white cabbage and gives a sweeter, tender crunch in thorans and sabzis.

  • Savoy cabbage

    Use 100% of the weight. Shred finely; holds its shape well when stir-fried and carries spiced oil effectively.

  • Brussels sprouts

    Use 90% of the weight. Finely shred or halve; offers an identical brassica crunch and slight peppery bite.

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.

Peanut
  • Roasted peanut

    Use the same weight; adjust salt if they are already salted, and crush or grind as the recipe asks.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; they are richer and softer, so roast for a shorter time and reduce added fat.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel for sauces, or chop for texture. They are firmer and less oily.

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.

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.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

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

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Similar dishes

Kosu Podi
Fried Savoury Cabbage
Kosu Podi is warm, savory, and nutty with a firmer crunch, whereas this dish is cool, creamy, and tangy.
  • Same: Kosu Podi also features shredded cabbage seasoned with cumin seeds, green chillies, and fresh coriander.
  • Different: Instead of being folded raw into plain yogurt with sugar and chilli powder, Kosu Podi is stir-fried in vegetable oil with onion, garlic, fresh coconut, chana dal, and urad dal.
Karamkalla
Dry Cabbage in Masala
Karamkalla tastes warm, pungent, and savoury from ginger and earthy spices, lacking the cooling, tart creaminess of this dish.
  • Same: Karamkalla shares cabbage as its primary vegetable, seasoned with green chillies, chilli powder, cumin seeds, sugar, and coriander.
  • Different: Karamkalla is a warm stir-fry cooked in vegetable oil with fresh and ground ginger, turmeric, asafoetida, and fenugreek seeds, completely omitting the yogurt base used in this dish.
Maharashtrian Thecha
Green Chilli & Peanut Relish
Maharashtrian Thecha is fiery, pungent, coarse, and nutty, while this dish is cooling, yoghurt-based, and crisp from cabbage.
  • Same: Maharashtrian Thecha shares peanuts, cumin seed, coriander leaf, green chilli, and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Maharashtrian Thecha adds garlic and vegetable oil and uses bird's-eye chillies pounded with roasted peanuts, while this dish uses yogurt, cabbage, sugar, and chilli powder in a raita.
Muttokos Thoran
Kerala Stir-fried Cabbage with Coconut
It tastes savory, coconutty and tempered-spicy rather than cooling and yoghurt-sour like this dish.
  • Same: Muttokos Thoran shares cabbage, green chilli, cumin seed and salt with this dish.
  • Different: It is a coconut-oil stir-fry with mustard seed, urad dal, curry leaf, shallot and fresh coconut, while this dish is a yogurt-based raita with peanut, coriander, chilli powder and sugar.