Omavalli raita, a yogurt dip made with fresh ajwain leaves, cucumber and creamy yogurt. A simple and easy to make side-dish, that pairs excellent with one-pot meals.
Raita is a yogurt dip, quite popular in Asian cuisine. A side-dish made with creamy yogurt and chopped veggies or greens or even fruits. I have quite a variety of raita/yogurt dips in my blog.
Raita varieties
Raita is an easy to make condiment that pairs well with one pot meals. Whenever i make mixed rice or biriyani, i make a simple raita and serve it along with some papad. The usual raita contains, chopped cucumber, onions, roasted cumin powder and salt. The rest of the spices or ingredients added is according to one own's interest.
Omavalli is known as Karpooravalli in south-indian household. Most of us have a small plant of this aromatic and useful herb at home. The plant doesn't need much care and grows like hell with little watering and lot of sunlight.
This small and useful herb comes handy when you have a mild cold and cough. The leaves have a slight astringent taste, which might bring a weird expression to our faces. I love to include these leaves in my regular cooking. I make a delicious ajwain leaves rasam, chutney and recently started including in one-pot meals like mint for aroma.
Omavalli raita, my recent experiment with fresh ajwain leaves. As i said the leaves have a astringent flavor, so not many can eat it fresh. But when mixed with yogurt and spices, they taste perfect and balanced. Both my kiddos loved the raita when i served with simple khichdi.
One-Pot meals
The Ingredients
- Yogurt, I have used full fat yogurt for the raita. You can also use low-fat yogurt, as a personal preference
- Cucumber, i have used fresh lebanese cucumbers.
- Omavalli or ajwain leaves or Indian borage, these are the star ingredient in the recipe. Fresh and tender ajwain leaves is used for the raita
- Cumin, salt and chili powder, these are the common spices needed for the raita.
Omavalli Raita | Ajwain leaves raita
Ingredients
- 500 grams full fat yogurt you can also use low-fat yogurt
- 2 nos lebanese cucumbers
- 10-12 nos fresh and tender ajwain leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Take Full fat yogurt in a serving bowl and whisk well. Peel and chop cucumbers into small cubes.
- Add the chopped cucumbers to the whisked yogurt and mix well.
- Take fresh and tender ajwain leaves. Heat a tava, add a teaspoon of oil, add the ajwain leaves and saute until they wilt. this is will take 5-8 minutes. Once the leaves wilted, add cumin seeds and saute for a 30 seconds.
- Take the wilted ajwain leaves and cumin seeds in a mortar-pestle and grind it to a paste. I prefer mortar-pestle, you can also mixie.
- Remove the ground paste of ajwain leaves and add it to the cucumber yogurt, add salt and mix well.
- Finally garnish it with red chili flakes and serve it along one-pot meals.
Video
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
Serve this fresh and zingy omavalli raita with your favorite one-pot meals. I served this delicious omavalli raita with Khichdi for our lunch.
If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
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Bless my food by Payal
Ajwain is a regular ingredient in our cooking but using its leaves is an awesome idea. I am sure that not just taste but leaves will be providing a unique aroma to the raita.
Pavani
That is such a healthy and delicious raita recipe. I have never tried omavalli - will have to see if I can get a plant to grow it myself.
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth
I have always wondered what this plant is... Love the way its leaves looks with a light hairy coating... The raita looks absolutely cooling!
Lata Lala
Using Ajwain leaves to make pakoda is a regular in our kitchen but using its leaves to make raita along with cucumbers is an awesome idea.
Poonam bachhav
I also have Ajwain herb grown in my potted plant and I make fritters with it. Adding the leaves to Cucumber raita is brilliant!
Mayuri Patel
When we lived at the big house with a garden we had several ajwain plants. I use to use the leaves to make bhajia and also would prepare a ajwain water for ailments. Your omavalli raita is tempting me to grow ajwain in a pot so I taste this interesting raita.
Uma Srinivas
Never had ajwain leaves raita. sounds healthy and nutritious. Yes, this will be perfect to pair with spicy rice dishes.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
Ajwain is good to digest any heavy food, and we love using it in our cooking but never tried it's leaves. Would love to have this raita for sure.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
What a great idea to use the omavalli leaves. I always have a omavalli plant at home and look for ideas to use it. Sounds so flavorful with mixed rice and biriyani.
Padma Veeranki
I have never tried ajwain leaves in raita..I'm sure it tasted great!! Would love to try this raita for sure!!
Lathiya
This is something new to me. I have heard karpooravalli rasam but never raita. Healthy, easy and delicious side.