Beetroot Usili/Beetroot Poriyal

Beets are one of my favorite vegetables. Having grown up in a place like Coimbatore I was fortunate enough to taste some of the freshest vegetables right from soil to the bowl.  Unlike other fuzzy kids who whine over food, I was more than happy to eat greens and bittergourd, weird right? But thatz how I was.
. May be I guess it was in my genes to like anything veggie.. he he! Now coming back to today’s recipe it’s a lunch side dish learnt from my mother. Well its winter and here in Mohali we get the best of the freshest veggies which were plucked from the soil just a few hours before it reaches the Sabzi Mandi. Last Sunday when I saw these beautiful reddish bloody beets with fresh greens I bought them and made the fullest use of it by making a stir fry with the leaves, made the normal stir fry with half of the beets on the other day and the 2 leftover beets ended up in Usili as this gives a decent volume for serving 2.

Ingredients:

Beetroot-250gms, peeled

Shallots-15, peeled &finely chopped

 Fresh Coconut- 2 tbsp, shredded

Salt-as needed

To Grind:

Channa dal-1/4 cup

Dried red chilies-4

Fennel seeds/ sombu-1 tsp

Salt-as needed

To Temper:

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Urad dal-1 tsp

Oil-2 tsp

How it Happened:

1. Wash and soak the channa dal in water for 2 hours. Wash and peel the beets and shred them, then pressure cook them for 1 whistle. Set aside

2. Drain the water from the channa dal, add it to a blender jar along with other ingredients given under ‘to grind’ list. Blitz them to make a coarse paste.

3. Heat oil in a kadai, add ingredients given under to temper list. When they splutter, add shallots and fry until glassy.

4. Then add the channa dal paste and cook them for 5 minutes in medium flame.

5. Break any lumps formed, and cook until the raw smell of the channa dal goes off.

6. Now add the pressure cooked beets and mix well and adjust the salt.Let them cook for 5 minutes.

7. Finally ad the shredded coconut, mix once and switch off the flame.

8. Serve hot with rice.

Notes:

* While shredding beets use the largest shredder size. They need not be shredded finely. While pressure cooking pour water in the cooker then place the vessel with beets into it. Do not add any water directly to the shredded beets.

* While grinding the channa dal do not make a fine paste. It should be coarse. Do not add water. The water in the channa dal will aid grinding. Add the other ingredients first blitz it, finally add the channa dal so they won’t be completely mashed.

* The beets need not be cooked longer on the pan as they are already pressure cooked. Sauté them just to evaporate any excess moisture.