Beetroot Poriyal (Beetroot Palya)
It is an authentic South Indian style beetroot curry which essentially involves sauteing beetroot pieces along with curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal, green chillies, garlic and onion in oil and has crunchy texture of red beet. It is one of the most simple, basic and yet healthy and instant side dish without which meal wouldn’t be complete!
| Ingredients: |
| 1 cup small cubes of Beetroot |
| 1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds |
| 1/4 teaspoon Urad Dal |
| 1/2 tablespoon Chana Dal |
| 3-4 Curry Leaves |
| 2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped |
| 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed (optional) |
| 1 small Onion, finely chopped or sliced |
| 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder (optional) |
| 1/4 cup grated Fresh Coconut |
| 1 tablespoon finely chopped Coriander Leaves |
| 1 tablespoon Oil |
| Salt to taste |
Directions:
- Heat oil in a kadai over medium flame. Add one mustard seed, if it immediately splutters then oil is ready. Add remaining mustard seeds. When they start to sizzle, add cumin seeds, urad dal and chana dal; stir-fry until dals turn slightly light brown. Add curry leaves, chopped green chillies, crushed garlic and finely chopped onion and sauté until onion turns translucent.
- Add turmeric powder, cubed beetroot and salt to taste, mix well and cook for a minute.
- Add 1/4 cup water and put on a high flame for 1 minute.
- Cover kadai with a lid and reduce flame to low, cook until beetroot becomes soft, about 7-8 minutes. Stir occasionally in between to prevent sticking. Add 1-2 tablespoons more water if needed.
- Add grated fresh coconut.
- Mix and cook for a minute.
- Turn off flame. Transfer beetroot palya to a serving bowl. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis.
Tips and Variations:
- For variation, use grated beetroot instead of chopped one. It will also take less time to cook.
- Add 1/4-teaspoon coriander powder in step-2 for nice flavor.
- You can also cook beetroot in a 3-liter capacity steel/aluminum pressure cooker for 2-whistles and then temper it with spices instead of cooking it in a pan.
- To make beetroot poriyal without coconut, skip step-5 mentioned above.
Taste: Mild spicy and crunchy
Serving Ideas: Serve it as an accompaniment with sambar rice, curd rice or rasam rice and as a part of everyday meal.