Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Mooli ka Raita
Mooli ka Raita (Mooli Raita)

Mooli ka Raita

Mooli Raita
VegetarianOrigin Jammu and KashmirPrep 15 minutes, plus chilling timeMakes 750ml / 1¼ pints (3¼ cups)

A crisp, cooling yogurt side dish balancing the sharp bite of grated white radish with toasted cumin and fresh chillies.

Roasted cumin

2.1 gStirred into the yogurt mixture (step 1)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeraroasted and ground
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
Roast gently and grind to a fine powder.

Everything else

01
White radish · Moolipeeled and grated
300 g1 mooli
vegetable
02
507 g500 ml
dairy
03
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
6 g1 chilli
vegetable
04
to taste
herb
05
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Combine 1 peeled and grated mooli, 507 g plain yogurt, 6 g de-seeded and chopped green chilli, the roasted cumin, and chopped coriander leaf to taste in a mixing bowl.
  2. Season with salt to taste, stir thoroughly until evenly incorporated, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before dishing up.

Don't have something?

Mooli
  • White radish

    Same vegetable under another name; use the same weight, peel and grate or slice. Salt a little less if very pungent.

  • Radish

    Use the same weight; red radishes are smaller and sharper, so grate and squeeze out excess water.

  • Turnip

    Use the same weight; milder and less peppery, so cook 3-5 minutes longer until tender.

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.

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.

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

Mujh
Radishes in Thick Yoghurt Sauce
Mujh tastes warm, aromatic, and lightly sweetened rather than cold, crisp, and sharp like this dish.
  • Same: Mujh also pairs radish with a yogurt base.
  • Different: Unlike this raw raita made with cumin and green chillies, Mujh is braised in mustard oil with Kashmiri garam masala, ground ginger, asafoetida, Kashmiri chilli powder, and sugar.
Tamatar Mooli
Spicy Tomatoes & Radishes
Tamatar Mooli is warm, tart, and richly spiced with a touch of sweetness, whereas this dish is cool, creamy, and mildly sharp.
  • Same: Tamatar Mooli also features mooli, cumin seeds, and fresh coriander.
  • Different: Instead of raw radish stirred into cold yogurt, Tamatar Mooli is a cooked curry braised in vegetable oil with tomatoes, fresh and ground ginger, fenugreek seeds, and asafoetida.
Seb Aur Chukandar Ka Salaad
Apple, Beetroot & Mooli Salad
Seb Aur Chukandar Ka Salaad tastes sweet, tangy, crunchy and savoury from black salt, while this dish is cooling, creamy and sharp from yogurt, radish and toasted cumin.
  • Same: Seb Aur Chukandar Ka Salaad shares mooli and coriander leaf with this dish, and both use chilli for heat.
  • Different: Seb Aur Chukandar Ka Salaad adds apple, cooked beetroot, lime, caster sugar, chaat masala, Kashmiri chilli powder, black salt and dill, and it lacks this dish’s yogurt and cumin.
Ankur ka Raita
Mung Bean Sprout Raita
Ankur ka Raita has a slightly sweet, earthy, and pungent onion flavor rather than the sharp, peppery bite of white radish.
  • Same: Ankur ka Raita shares a base of plain yogurt seasoned with toasted cumin seeds, fresh green chillies, salt, and coriander leaves.
  • Different: Ankur ka Raita replaces grated white radish with sprouted mung beans and adds raw onions, sugar, and chilli powder.