Beetroot Poriyal / Beetroot Stir fry

Beetroot Poriyal / Beetroot Stir fry

Beta vulgaris - fondly known as beetroot - always made me wonder how mother nature could store such abundant pigment into a part of a plant - that too in roots!! Beets are such a versatile root-veg for salad, stir fry, juice, halwa etc., I frequently make stir fry / poriyal and halwa. One tiny thing which makes me happy to cook beetroot is that.. my palm become pinker when I cut it! I know that sounds kiddish.. but that is all making me more happy to work in kitchen. Today I will share my beetroot poriyal  / stir fry recipe.

For more - Poriyal

Beetroot Poriyal / Stir fry

 Ingredients:

• Beetroot - 3 (medium sized)
• onion - 1 (small)
• chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• salt
• coconut gratings - 2 Tablespoons
• coconut oil - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Tempering:

• Mustard
• Urad dhal (broken)
• curry leaves
• Asafoetida

Procedure:

• Cut the beetroot and onion and keep ready.
• Heat some oil in a pan. Add the tempering ingredients and let it splutter and dance in the pan with the beautiful aroma.
• Add the chopped onion. Saute for 2 mins.
• Add the chopped beetroots. Stir a couple of times. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add a quarter cup of water and close the pan with a lid. Let it cook for 10 mins. 
• Open the pan after 10 minutes and cook till the rest of the water evaporates and the dish become little dry.
• When it is almost done add the coconut gratings and stir again. At this stage, I generally add a teaspoon of coconut oil to enhance the coconut flavour to any dish which calls for coconut in the end. Again, garnishing with coriander leaves is optional. But I don't use coriander leaves for beetroot poriyal.

Now you can enjoy this simple and humble beetroot poriyal / stir fry with white rice and sambar or rasam or curd rice. Today, this beetroot poriyal was packed with curd rice for my daughter's lunch. Curd rice and beetroot poriyal.. that's a duet !

Curd rice - Beetroot poriyal - Lunch box menu

For more poriyal recipes click here - Poriyal

Happy cooking !!