RAITAS

The dish made out of yogurt mainly. Ayurveda never recommends eating bowlful of this. This aids the taste to the food and also makes food easily digestible. Hence it is taken in a small quantity. By itself, yogurt is sour and hence bit difficult to digest if in more quantity, spices and other ingredients make this easy to digest and so the dish as light accompanied diet.

BEET RAITA

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw beets, peeled and grated
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1-pinch hing
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• ½ small green chili chopped
• 1-cup plain yogurt
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 curry leaves preferably fresh

Method –

Add the beets to the yogurt and stir gently. On the other hand heat the ghee on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds followed by hing. Wait till seeds pop up. Add the cilantro, curry leaves and chili. Mix quickly and take off the fire. Cool a little and add this to the yogurt and beet. Mix it well and end the process.

Just note that this is taken in little quanitity. Like 1-2 tsp full per person.

Medicinal value –

Beets are sweet, cooling and pungent vipaka (the end product after digestion). The pungent taste may aggravate Pitta, but occasional use is okay and doesn’t create problem Kapha can also use this occasionally. The spices and other ingredients help yogurt to make it more easily digestible. Beets are supposed to be good for blood purification and also work as tonic. This may be helpful keeping skin healthy.

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