Rinse, peel and grate 2 small to medium carrots in a plate or bowl.
making carrot raita
In another bowl, take 1 cup fresh chilled curd/yogurt and whisk it till smooth.
Add the grated carrots (reserve a few for garnish) and chopped green chilies. Green chilies are optional and you can skip it. You can also add ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder instead of green chilies.
Mix everything well.
Then add ½ tsp cumin powder, a pinch of garam masala powder & black salt as required. Add rock salt or regular salt if you do not have black salt. Mix again very well.
tempering for carrot raita
In a fire proof spoon or in a small pan, take ½ tsp ghee. We will be tempering the raita. This step is optional and you can skip it.
Heat the ghee. Then add a pinch of asafoetida. Fry the asafoetida for a few seconds.
Then pour the tempering in the raita. Mix well.
Serve the raita immediately or chill it and then serve later. You can also garnish with some coriander leaves before serving.
It can be served as a side dish with dal-rice or roti-sabzi combo or with pulao and biryani.
Notes
The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Best to use tender and fresh carrots. They should not be fibrous.
To make the raita gluten-free either skip adding asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
The amount of spices can be altered as per your preference.
The tempering is an optional step but I usually add it as it brings a good flavor.
If you are going to serve it to small kids also then I suggest reducing the amount of green chillies (or red chili powder) accordingly or skip altogether.
You can also add 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves in place of coriander leaves.