Spring onion raita | Cooling summer dip

The long weekend was busy. And lazy. Super lazy. On Sunday we had a “food trip” to Wembley where we ate, ate and ate. Bought Indian Mangoes, about 2 dozens of them. No kidding!

Well, the next day obviously was slow and sluggish. We did nothing, just watched Netflix and ate Pizza at the end since neither of us was in a mood to step into the kitchen at all. So while our friends went out for hiking, Yoga retreat or family picnics for the long weekend.. we spent the time either eating or sleeping.

I hated it. S loved it. You can check more pics from my Instagram account here.

So.. back to the real life. Juggling office, home and blogging now. Since I murdered all my plans of doing blog work over the long weekend myself, I don’t have anything ready to post today. And so I am forcing myself to quickly write down this simple recipe for the Spring onion raita.

My love for raita (Savoury yogurt dip) is so evident on this blog. I have posted a few here like- Beetroot raita | Okra raita | Roasted garlic raita | Spinach raita | Mint raita

A Punjabi meal is incomplete without a raita on the platter. Its cooling, it has probiotics and so aids in digestion, and it’s an easy and tasty addition to the meal. Adding spring onions (Scallions) boosts up the nutritional value of the raita making it a wholesome side dish on its own.

Health benefits of Spring onions:

Spring onions (hara pyaz) are very low in calories, and contain many noteworthy antioxidants, plant fibre, minerals and vitamins.
They are plentiful in B-Complex vitamins and iron which as a combo is proven vital in keeping you energised and prevents lethargy to take you over.
They also aids in digestion and are a natural remedy for diarrhoea and other minor stomach complications.

Yogurt and Spring onions together, makes an excellent combo, especially in summer time. If you like the sharp taste of these green onions, try this for your meal tonight.

Servings: 2-3
Course: Side dish/ Dip
Prep level: Super easy
Nutritional facts: High in fiber, antioxidants, probiotics, essential vitamins and minerals
Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi, North Indian

What you need?

1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), about 4-5
About 200 gms of thick yogurt (Greek yogurt)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black salt
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp black pepper powder

How to make?

It cannot get simpler than this- chop green onions into small pieces. Combine everything and serve chilled aside any Indian curry or as a dip with crisps, nachos etc.

Notes:

If you are wary of the raw and sharp taste of spring onion, you may like to steam or microwave it first before adding to the yogurt. Simply chop them into bits, add 2 tbsp of water in a bowl with the chopped pieces. Microwave for 2 minutes, drain and add to the yogurt. This would take the excess smell off.

You may like to fry the bits in just 1 tsp of oil before adding to the yogurt. This would make the onions more crunchy. You may also add one clove of garlic, minced together with the onion bits into the oil for frying.

You may add some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) to this raita just before serving.

The other yogurt dip which is my favourite is this – Roasted garlic cucumber raita. Trust garlic to make everything in this world better!