The term “side“ usually refers to a smaller portion served as a side dish, rather than a larger, main dish-sized serving. Raita is a condiment made of dahi (yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with raw or cooked vegetables, or fruits, or in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan (chickpea flour, generally labeled as gram flour).
The yogurt may be seasoned with coriander roasted cumin seeds; mint, chaat masala and other herbs and spices.