
Matar ka Raita
A refreshing yogurt-based side dish studded with tender sweet peas and laced with toasted, warming spices. It offers a creamy, cool texture with mild earthy heat.
Raita spices
4.7 gMixed into the yogurt base (step 1)Everything else
Method
- In a wide mixing bowl, combine 507 g plain yogurt with 250 g pea, lightly cooked, the raita spices, 4.2 g granulated sugar, 1 None, trimmed and chopped, and salt to taste, folding gently until uniformly distributed.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop before serving.
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Plain yogurt

YogurtUse equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.
Coconut milkUse equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.
Single creamUse 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Pea


Cumin seed

Ground cuminUse 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 seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Granulated sugar

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

Chilli powder

Red chilli powderUse 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powderUse 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 pepperUse 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Spring onion

Spring onion greenUse the same weight; use only the green parts, so the dish loses some of the white onion base.
OnionUse 60% of the weight, finely sliced; stronger and sharper, so cook it down more.
ChiveUse the same weight; milder and best added late or as a garnish, not as a cooked base.
Similar dishes

- Same: Khoya Matar also features green peas as a core ingredient, seasoned with cumin seeds and chilli powder.
- Different: Khoya Matar is a hot curry cooked in ghee with rich khoya, fresh ginger, green chillies, and warm spices like cloves and garam masala, whereas this dish is an uncooked, chilled yogurt-based side sweetened with sugar.

- Same: Zimikand-Matar also pairs green peas with plain yogurt seasoned with cumin seeds, chilli powder, and salt.
- Different: Unlike this uncooked, chilled yogurt raita, Zimikand-Matar is a hot curry cooked in ghee with tomatoes, amchoor, turmeric, coriander seeds, asafoetida, and garam masala.

- Same: Gajar Matar shares peas, cumin seed, chilli powder and salt with this dish.
- Different: Gajar Matar adds carrot, onion, tomato, green chilli, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin and oil or ghee, and it is braised as a dry vegetable, while this dish is a yogurt-based side with sugar and spring onion.

- Same: Samosa also features green peas seasoned with cumin seeds, chilli powder, and salt.
- Different: Instead of folding peas into uncooked yogurt, Samosa combines them with potatoes, ginger, fresh chillies, turmeric, and coriander inside a pastry deep-fried in ghee and vegetable oil.















