Quick Beetroot Curry with coconut masala

One of the vegetables that the pre-packed vegetables being supplied to housing societies has humongous quantities of beetroots. Not too fond of the stuff, I still need to use them, right? So today I made a stir-fry with a masala of jeera, coconut and red chillies. It tasted good with a nice flavour and gets done in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

• Beet root                                2 or 3 medium sized
• Grated coconut                   1 tbsp
• Jeera                                    1 tsp
• Red chillies                          2-3 (or as needed)
• Mustard                                ½ tsp
• Urad dal                                1 tsp
• Turmeric powder                  ½ tsp
• Hing                                      1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and peel beetroot. Wash again after peeling.
• Cut into very small pieces. You can even grate it if you like.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai and pop the mustard seeds. When it crackles, add the urad dal. Once it turns golden, add the hing and turmeric powder.
• Now add the beetroot and salt to taste. Add 2 or 3 tbsps of water. Mix well, cover and let it cook for about 7-8 minutes. Stir in between and sprinkle some water if needed.
• In the meanwhile, grind the coconut, jeera and chilles in a mixer into a powder.

• When the beetroot is three-fourths cooked, add the masala and mix well. Cover and let it finish cooking till the beet is cooked through but not too soft.
• Remove from fire. Garnish with coriander if you have it. I didn’t.
• Serve with rice or roti/parathas at lunch or dinner.

Note: I have used bedgi mirchi, which is less spicy, so have used more of them. You can adjust the quantity to suit your spice level.