Pumpkin Raita / Kaddu Ka Raita recipe
Kaddu ka raita is a fresh and creamy blend of sweet and sour pumpkin (Kaddu ) , onions and curd with a nice mix of flavourful spices
Kaddu ka Raita (Pumpkin raita)
Onset of summers , calls for a variety of food that is lighter, fresher, cooler and keeps your body hydrated.One such thing that is a must, specifically in summers is Yoghurt/ curd /dahi. Yoghurt or Dahi is one of the best probiotic and full of calcium and healthy nutrients.
You can have yoghurt as is, or make it much more yummier , and healthier by making variety of vegetables or fruit raita using different vegetables and fruits. Also making raita is a great way to sneak in some healthy vegetables and fruits in yours and your kids diet.
Kaddu / Pumpkin recipes
Talking of that, one vegetable(or fruit ) that I used to dislike as a child was pumpkin or Kaddu. And my mum being the clever cook she is (I guess it is the children who make their mums clever 😉 ), she somehow used to sneak in vegetables in my food, without me being able to see it, and I was happily eating the things that I did not like!
She cooks very delicious Kaddu or pumpkin recipes like these pumpkin paratha, pumpkin halwa, and pumpkin raita . I used to relish these pumpkin dishes thinking these, as some nice variety of food, and the name “pumpkin” was always left out.
As I grew up,and got to know the truth, I started understanding and even liking kaddu and loved creating delicious and healthy kaddu recipes .
One of these pumpkin recipes that I’m going to share here is the “Pumpkin Raita or Kaddu ka raita “.
Ingredients required to make Kaddu raita
Kaddu ka raita is really a very very simple recipe and you can make alterations as per your tastes.
This kaddu recipe requires really few ingredients-
Pumpkin also known as Kaddu in hindi-Use any variety of Pumpkin. You can also use any squash to make this raita.
Whisked Curd (yoghurt/ dahi)– Store bought yoghurt can be used to make pumpkin raita. You can even use homemade curd (dahi) to make this. If you have greek yoghurt you can use that. Add half a cup of water or milk if you are using greek yoghurt to get the required consistency.
In India i always use home made curd, as that is one thing unmistakably present in the fridge. Here in UK, I do not have the homemade curd most of the times.
I use organic yoghurt to replace the homemade curd.It tastes as delicious.
If you feel the consistency of the curd is too thick, you can add a little cold milk / water to adjust that.
Onions- Onions are a perfect addition to any vegetable raita , as they add a lovely crunch and sweetness to vegetable or fruit raitas. You can even use just onions and spices (no vegetable and fruits ) to make a super delicious onion raita.
Green chillies– Green chillies add a lot of flavour to Indian raitas, and are normally always added to it. However if you think it is too spicy for your taste, you can opt out of adding green chillies. Another option is deseeding the chillies and then adding it to the kaddu raita.
Fresh coriander, and mint leaves – Fresh coriander and mint leaves add a boost of fresh flavour to the pumpkin raita.
Dry spices-For this recipe we just use salt, red chilli, pepper and black salt.Then there is raita masala that i add to all my dahi raitas. It is a very simple mix of two ingredients. I have explained how to make this raita masala in my notes below. Please check that and make this raita masala a staple in your pantry.
How to make kaddu ka raita
To make the delicious raita with Pumpkins, simply whip the yoghurt to get a creamy consistency.
Add a little milk if you want prefer slightly runny consistency.
Mash the boiled pumpkins with a fork. Mix in the yoghurt.
Add rest of the ingredients – chopped onions, chillies, chopped corianders , mint ,cumin seeds, salt, chillies, black salt, pepper powder and raita masala. Combine everything nicely.
Chill the kaddu raita in fridge for a few hours. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, imli chutney / mango chutney , and a sprinkle of raita masala and chilli powder .
Serve this raita chilled with your meals or have it as a healthy snack in between meals.
Making pumpkin raita for babies / toddlers
Kaddu is very nutritious for kids . You can slightly modify this raita recipe to make it a perfect homemade healthy yoghurt for babies or toddlers.
I used boiled and roughly mashed pumpkin , but if you are making this for the kids, you can make a smooth paste/puree of the boiled pumpkin and then mix in the curd. You can omit using onions and chillies altogether.
So let’s taste this creamy ,sweet and spicy blend of Pumpkin raita.
Raita Masala
And as per my mum, the secret ingredient for all raita’s is this simple Raita masala.
That in simple words is roasted cumin and coriander seeds powder.
To make this raita masala dry roast a handful of both cumin and coriander seeds in equal quantities. Let the roasted cumin and coriander seeds cool.
Now crush them or grind these into powder using a coffee grinder .
You can roast and store a big batch of this raita masala and then store it in an airtight container (glass jars) for using later.
This raita masala stays good for a month. The more fresh it is , the more flavourful this masala is.
Indian recipes to serve with Kaddu ka raita
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Recipe card
Pumpkin Raita/ Kaddu ka Raita recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups Homemade curd/ Organic greek yoghurt/ all set yoghurt whisked
- 1 .5 cups pumpkin sliced
- 1 cup water to boil the pumpkin slices
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1-2 green chillies finely chopped
- few sprigs coriander leaves chopped
- few sprigs mint leaves chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp Coriander cumin powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds whole
- salt as per taste
- 1/2 tsp Black salt powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
Instructions
- Boil the sliced pumpkin for 5-7 minutes, till it becomes tender. You can even steam it instead of boiling, for 10 minutes.
- Now strain the pumpkin slices, strain any excess water and roughly mash it.
- Add all the ingredients to the whisked curd/ yoghurt- mashed pumpkin, chopped onions, chopped green chillies, chopped coriander and mint leaves, coriander cumin powder, whole cumin seeds, salt, black salt,pepper powder and red chilli powder.
- And garnish it with chilli powder and coriander cumin powder.Chill it in the fridge for some time, and serve the chilled raita with lunch or dinner, or just have it as a healthy snack/ salad option.
Notes
- Instead of slicing the pumpkin, you can grate the pumpkin and the boil it. But in that case just squeeze the water nicely before using it for the raita.
- Just incase you do not have fresh mint leaves, you can even use dried mint leaves, which are easily available in the asian stores.Mint really adds a very fresh flavour to any raita.
- If you feel the consistency of the curd is too thick, you can add a little cold milk to adjust that.
- If you are making this for the kids, you can make a smooth paste/puree of the boiled pumpkin instead of roughly mashing it , then mix it in the curd, and leave out the onion altogether.