Beetroot Pachadi

Beetroot Pachadi. The Beetroot season is well underway in the UK, make the most of those lovely healthy beets with this tasty (but pretty easy to make) curry.

This South Indian beetroot and coconut dish is often served as a side to go with grilled meats or other curries, but we think it is just as good as a main in its own right.

Serve with plenty of warm chapatis, steamed rice and yoghurt.

Beetroot is packed with essential nutrients; including folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C and are a great source of fiber.

Beetroots and beetroot juice have been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance.

Ingredients

Serves 4

800g raw beetroot
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4cm ginger, peeled and grated
2 green finger chillies, very finely chopped
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp ground turmeric
200g grated coconut, fresh or frozen
4 tbsp whole milk or Greek yoghurt

Method

Top and tail the beetroot, then either boil in water or roast until they are tender (so you can stick a knife through them with ease). Boiling takes around 35 minutes, Roasting 40 minutes at 190 degrees.

Leave the beetroot to cool down, then slip the skins off with your fingers and cut the beetroot into ½ cm wedges.

In a large lidded frying pan, heat the oil and when hot, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds are starting to pop, add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilli, salt, cumin and turmeric.

Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes then add the beetroot and grated coconut. Stir to mix, then pop the lid on.

Leave to cook for 10 minutes stirring a couple of times then stir in the yoghurt. Serve hot with rice.

This recipe is an edited version from http://meerasodha.com