Pineapple & Mint Raita recipe | Ananas & Pudina Raita recipe
Impress your guests with this creamy & sweet ‘Pineapple & Mint Raita,’ a cooling, refreshing & versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a side or even as a dessert! With just 5 ingredients & ready in less than 15 minutes, this recipe is quick, easy & kid-friendly too.
What is raita?
If you are new to raita, raita is a traditional Indian yoghurt-based side dish that is usually eaten with meals, especially in summers. Raitas can be sweet or savory. It can be made by simply adding some spices or herbs to the yoghurt or made more complex by adding vegetables & sometimes fruits. Adding vegetables to the raita is an excellent way to increase and meet your daily vegetable requirements. Depending on the vegetables, they can be added raw or cooked. Raitas can also be made with tarka (tempering) or without tarka.
Why you’ll love this Pineapple & Mint Raita
- Quick (ready in less than 15 minutes) & easy but special enough to impress your guests
- Just 5 ingredients
- Versatile dish – as a side or dessert
- Cooling & refreshing dish – Yogurt & mint are great to help cool down the body, perfect for summers
- Great make ahead recipe – make up to a day in advance
- Kid friendly – perfect as a snack or even in the lunchbox
- Perfect accompaniment to spicy curries or rice-based dishes such as biryanis/pulaos, but can go well with everything
- Yoghurt provides probiotics needed for a healthy gut microbiome
- Naturally gluten-free
- Vegan option – use plant-based yogurt such as coconut yogurt
Ingredients required
Plain Greek yoghurt or hung curd/yogurt – Plain Greek yogurt is ideal for this recipe as it’s thick and creamy. Use yoghurt that is fresh & sweet, do not use sour yogurt.
You can also use homemade yogurt, however you will need to hang it for a couple of hours to drain the excess liquid/whey, as homemade yogurts tend to be more watery.
To make hung curd, wet and squeeze the excess water from a muslin or cheesecloth. Moistening the muslin cloth makes it easier for the yogurt to be released from the cloth later. Put the yogurt in the muslin cloth. Twist/tie the cloth to make a tight ball and hang it to drain the excess liquid/whey. Do not throw the whey, collect it by placing a bowl under the hung curd and use the liquid to make a dough for flatbreads or use in curries to add sourness.
Canned pineapple slices (in juice) – Canned pineapple is preferred in this recipe because fresh pineapples contain a chemical that doesn’t complement dairy yogurt. Although you can use fresh pineapple by first cooking it, it adds extra time to the preparation process, and sometimes you need a quick option.
Fresh mint leaves – Mint leaves not only add a pop of color to the dish but also makes this raita refreshing and helps to clean your palate. Mint leaves also aid in digestion.
Powdered sugar/icing sugar (as per taste) – Powdered sugar is easier to dissolve and combine with the yoghurt. You can make powdered sugar at home by grinding the sugar granules in a mixer/blender.
Pinch of salt – to balance and enhance the sweetness
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can make this Pineapple & Mint raita up to a day in advance, however, add the fresh mint leaves & garnish right before serving. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Serving & Storing
This pairs perfectly with spicy curries, rice dishes like biryani or pulao, and practically anything else.
Store leftovers (if any) in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within a day or two.
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Pineapple & Mint Raita recipe | Ananas & Pudina Raita recipe
Equipment
- Bowl/Serving dish
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plain & unsweetened Greek yoghurt or hung curd (refer to notes), for a vegan option, use plant based coconut yogurt
- 432 gms can pineapple slices (in juice), chopped to small pieces
- 15-20 fresh mint leaves
- Pinch of salt (approx. ⅛ tsp)
- Powdered sugar/icing sugar as per taste (refer to notes)
Instructions
- Open the can of pineapple slices and separate the slices from the juice. Keep the juice to add to the yogurt to enhance the flavour of the raita and adjust the consistency (step 4).
- Chop the pineapple slices into small to medium-sized pieces according to your preference. Reserve a tablespoon of the chopped pineapple for garnish.
- Next, in a bowl or in a serving dish, whisk the yogurt until smooth.
- Add a pinch of salt to the whisked yogurt and gradually combine 1-2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice at a time to the whisked yogurt to get a thick but flowing consistency. The quantity of juice needed will depend on the desired consistency of the raita, so adjust as per preference.
- Taste the yogurt mixture and, if needed, gradually add and mix in 1-2 teaspoons of powdered sugar at a time to sweeten it. The quantity of sugar needed will depend on the tartness of the yogurt.
- Once the yogurt reaches your desired level of sweetness, add the chopped pineapple pieces.
- Reserve some mint leaves for the garnish & gently tear the remaining mint leaves into small sized pieces using your hands and add to the yogurt bowl.
- Gently combine the pineapple pieces & the mint with the whisked yogurt.
- Garnish the raita with the reserved chopped pineapple pieces and mint leaves.
- Serve the raita as a side dish or dessert.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup = 250ml
- Use yoghurt that is fresh & sweet, do not use sour yogurt.
- Hung curd – If you are using homemade yogurt, you will need to hang it for a couple of hours to drain the excess liquid/whey, as homemade yogurts tend to be watery.
- To make hung curd, wet and squeeze the excess water from a muslin cloth or a cheesecloth. Moistening the muslin cloth makes it easier for the yogurt to be released from the cloth later. Put the yogurt in the muslin cloth. Twist/tie the cloth to make a tight ball and hang it to drain the excess liquid/whey. Do not throw the whey, collect it by placing a bowl under the hung curd and use the liquid to make a dough for flatbreads or use in curries to add sourness.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar is easier to dissolve and combine with the yoghurt. You can make powdered sugar at home by grinding the sugar granules in a mixer/blender.
- Calories information is approximate, calculated using online Recipe Calorie & Nutrition Calculator. The final calories will depend on the type of yoghurt and the quantity of sugar added. The calories shown are calculated based on 6 servings.
Nicely explained. Will definitely use this as side dish in my lunch
Thank you for your feedback!