Grated Beetroot Stir fry with Garlic | Easy Beetroot Stir fry Recipe

I have already posted two versions of the beetroot stir fry - Beetroot Stir fry using Coconut and the other version - Spicy Beetroot Curry using Vangibath masala powder. You must be wondering why again this new version and what is it about. I had tasted this simple version of garlic flavored Grated Beetroot stir fry in a meal cooked by a cook during my pregnancy and instantly liked it and from then it has been added to our regular menu. I make it quite often that I prepare this version more than the regular coconut version. I love garlic and the roasted crushed garlic imparts a nice taste to the curry. Also as the beetroot has been grated this cooks very fast compared to the chopped beetroot curry.I also prepare the same version with carrot and even that tastes very nice.

In Kerala, they make Beetroot thoran with grated beetroot and coconut, I would post that version some time later.This is a very basic recipe that even a beginner can prepare it in the kitchen. You can pair it with hot steaming rice or roti, it tastes nice and makes a simple meal.If you like Beetroot then you must check out Bengali Vegetable Chops with beetroot stuffing and also Carrot-Beet Halwa. recipes.

You can check out various vegetables and greens stir fry recipes here to pair with everyday dal/sambar and rice.

Grated Beetroot Stir fry Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins |  Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Stir-fry/Palya

Ingredients:

1 large Beetroot, peeled and grated

1 medium Onion, finely chopped

3-4 pods of Garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 tsp Red chili powder or Garlic Chili powder

1 Red chili, broken

1 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

7-8 Curry leaves

1.5-2 tbsp Oil

Salt, to taste

Method:

• Wash,Peel and grate Beetroot and keep it ready.

• In a kadai heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and then add urad dal, broken red chili,garlic pods and curry leaves and fry until the dal turns a bit red in color.

• Add finely chopped onion and fry until the onions turn slight brown in color.

• Now add grated beetroot and salt and mix nicely and cover it and cook for 5-6 mins.Add a tbsp of water if needed.

• Open the lid and add the chili powder (Garlic chili powder) and mix nicely and cook for another 2-3 mins.

• Switch off the flame.

Serve it hot with rice/roti/chapati.

Notes:

1. You can replace beetroot with carrot in the recipe and follow the same method by grating the carrot or you can even mix both grated carrot and beetroot and follow the same recipe.
2. Crushed garlic pod is the star ingredient in this simple recipe, do not skip it.
3. Also I have mentioned more oil quantity as it depends on the size of the beetroot and also somehow this simple stir fry tastes best when made with more oil.You can reduce it if you want.
4. Do not cook the curry for very long period.It cooks very fast and tastes best when a slight crunch is maintained in the beetroot.

Technorati Tags: grated beetroot stir fry, beetroot recipes, beetroot stir fry, beetroot garlic stir fry, andhra recipes, simple stir fry recipes, side dish for rice, side dish for rotis

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Carrot Beetroot Halwa | Gajar aur Beetroot Halwa

I am celebrating the 500th post on my 4+ years old site - The Chef and Her Kitchen through a sweet recipe - Beets & Carrot Halwa.
Halwa is a popular Indian dessert which gets featured in any Indian wedding or occasion.There are various varieties of halwas and the most popular among them is Carrot Halwa aka Gajar ka Halwa.Though I do not prepare halwa varieties often but during winters, I do not miss preparing Carrot halwa with the red Delhi carrots which are available only in that particular season. The extra sweetness of the red carrots adds a nice taste and makes the halwa more delicious.This winter season, I paired the red carrots with fresh beetroot and prepared this delicious Beets & Carrot Halwa. Well yes - its been a while since the winter season - its been over 4 months since I prepared it - as  I was preserving this post for the occasion. 

Halwa is usually prepared using Khoya/Mawa but I use Condensed milk to prepare it, as it is difficult to fetch mawa sometimes.The addition of condensed milk does not alter the traditional taste of halwa and also makes the preparation process a bit easy.I prefer to use my small Hawkins pressure cooker to prepare halwa instead of kadai as the process is quite quick.One can follow the same process for preparing various halwa varieties like Carrot halwa, Beetroot Halwa and Lauki(bottle gourd) halwa.Check out my Lauki  ka Halwa recipe which I prepared in a similar way.

Beets - Carrot Halwa | Gajar aur Beetroot ka Halwa Recipe:

(Serves 5-6 generously)

Ingredients:

2 medium Beetroots, peeled and grated

4 large Red or Orange Carrots, peeled and grated
2 cups Full cream Milk
1/2 tin Condensed milk(200ml approx)

1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
4 tbsp Sugar(add it accordingly)
2 tbsp chopped Cashew nuts
2 tbsp flaked Almonds
2 tbsp flaked Pistachios
2 tbsp Raisins
4 tbsp Ghee

Method: 

• Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pressure cooker and add grated carrots and beetroot to the remaining ghee and fry for 3-4 mins and add milk to it and close the lid and bring it to full pressure on high heat and remove cooker immediately from heat.
• Release the pressure immediately and open it(or you can cook the grated carrots and beetroots in milk on a stove top which is bit time consuming).
• Place the cooker on high heat,add sugar and condensed milk and cook until the liquid dries up(approx for 15-20 mins) stirring occasionally.
• Add 2 tbsp ghee and cardamom powder and cook until the ghee separates from the mixture(this takes approx 10 mins),stirring constantly.
• Heat ghee in a small pan and fry cashews and raisins and add this to the halwa,add flaked almonds and pistachios and mix everything.

Serve the halwa hot/cold garnished with flaked almonds and pistachios.You can even serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

1. You can make just beetroot or carrot halwa using the same recipe.You can even prepare bottle gourd(lauki) halwa following the same process.
2. You can replace condensed milk with 1/3 cup mawa(khoya) and also increase the sugar quantity to 1/2 cup approximately.
3. I use pressure cooker as it is easy and faster to prepare,you can do the whole process in a thick kadai.You need to be patient as it takes more time to prepare halwa.
4. I used less ghee in preparing this halwa,you can add little more if you want it really rich.
5. I used Red carrots(Delhi variety) to prepare this halwa,you can use either red or orange variety of carrots to prepare the same.

This spoonful of halwa is for you all for your constant support which helped me to reach this far milsetone.I must thank all my readers,blogger friends and family for your support.

 

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Beetroot Spicy Curry | Beetroot Stir fry Recipe

Simple stir fries and curries are a part of our daily meal.They are not only quick to make but also makes a healthy side dish for rice and rotis.I am posting a spicy version of Beetroot stir fry which I absolutely love and the recipe is so versatile and can be adapted for many vegetables,do check the notes for more variations of this recipe.If you are bored of usual simple stir fries you should try this spicy version of stir fry which is really delicious.You can check out another version of simple Beetroot stir fry here.

Beetroot Spicy Curry Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 medium Beetroots

1 tbsp Vangibath powder

1 tbsp roasted(fried) Gram powder(chutney dalia)

2 Red chillies,broken

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 tsp Chana dal

1 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1-2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash,peel and cut the beetroot into tiny cubes or small pieces or cut into thin lengthy pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai/pan and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add Chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn in red color.
• Add broken red chillies and curry leaves and fry them until they turn crisp.
• Now add chopped beetroot pieces and fry or 2 mins.
• Add 2-3 tbsp of water and cover it and cook for 7-8 mins until the beetroot is soft and cooked.If it is not cooked cook for another few mins,add few tbsp of water if required
• Remove the lid and increase the flame and cook until the moisture is evaporated.
• Add salt,vangibath powder and mix well and cook for another 2 mins on low flame.
• Now add roasted gram powder to it and give a nice stir and remove it from flame immediately.

Serve it hot with Rice/Roti/Chapati.

Notes:

1. You can follow the same process for vegetables like Carrots, Broadbeans(chikkudukaya), French beans, Long beans, Cluster beans, Potatoes etc.You need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
2. If you do not have Vangibath powder,you can add normal chili powder along with roasted gram powder in the recipe.
3. Beetroot pieces can be steamed ahead and add to the tempering and add the powders at the end.
4. You can add 1 tbsp of dry coconut powder at the end,as my vangibath powder has that I did not add it extra.But even if you add extra it adds a nice taste to the curry.

You can check out another version of Simple Beetroot stir fry recipe here.

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Bengali style Vegetable Chops | Stuffed Beetroot Cutlets

I make various cutlets and experiment with various ingredients at home but there are hardly any cutlet cutlets recipes in my space.I like to prepare cutlets as this is the easy way that I can incorporate various vegetables,dals and soy products to make a tasty yet healthy snack.

When I saw Deepa's Vegetable Chops recipe,though it is similar to the other cutlets I prepare I liked the addition of peanuts and the stuffing of beetroot-carrot mixture unlike the way I mix the vegetables inside the dough itself.I followed the recipe mostly with very few changes in the recipe.I would say it is a good cutlet for a change with the bite of peanuts in between.I tried the recipe immediately after she posted and this post is sitting in my drafts from almost few months.I am planning to clear all my drafts before the new year and hence this post finds its way finally to my blog.

Bengali Style Vegetable Chops | Stuffed Beetroot Cutlets:

(makes 10-12 chops)

Source: Deepa's Hamaree Rasoi

Ingredients:

for Stuffing:

1 big Beetroot,grated

2 Carrots,grated

a fistful of Ground nuts,roasted and peeled

2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut

2-3 tbsp Raisins

3-4 Green chillies,finely chopped

1 tsp grated Ginger

1 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

for Outer layer:

2 large boiled Potatoes

1 whole wheat Bread slice

2 Green chillies,finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

Salt to taste

to Coat the Chops:

2 tbsp Corn flour

1/4 cup Water

1/2 cup fresh Bread crumbs

2-3 tbsp Oil,to shallow fry chops

1 tsp Chat masala,to sprinkle over the chops

Method:

to make filling: 

• Peel the skin of beetroot and carrots and grate them and keep aside.
• Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add finely chopped green chillies and ginger and fry for a minutes.
• Add grated carrot,beetroot and salt and fry on high flame for 3-4 mins until the water evaporates.
• Add roasted cumin powder,raisins,grated fresh coconut,roasted and skinned peanuts and mix them thoroughly and let the mixture cool down completely.

to make outer layer:

• Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles until they are soft.Peel the skin and mash them nicely while they are still warm.
• Dip the bread slice in water and remove it immediately and squeeze out the water thoroughly and add it to the mashed potato.
• Add chopped green chillies and coriander leaves, cumin powder,coriander powder,garam masala and salt and mix well and knead to a dough of chapati consistency.

to make chops:

• Mix water to the corn flour and make a thin slurry out of it.
• Grease your palms and take a big lemon sized ball of potato dough and  flatten it a bit and stuff it with 1tbsp of filling mixture and seal it from all the sides and flatten it to a oval or round shaped patty.
• Repeat the process until you make all the patties.
• Dip the patties in a thin corn flour slurry mixture and immediately roll them in a bowl of bread crumbs and turn the patty to coat it with the bread crumbs on all sides evenly.You can refrigerate the patties for half an hour or you can fry them immediately.
• Heat tawa and add a couple of tsps of oil and place the patties and fry them over medium flame until crisp.Pour some oil over the top of the patties and turn them and fry the other until crisp.You can even deep fry them in a wide pan,but I prefer to use less oil and hence I shallow fry on tawa with less oil.

Serve them hot with green chutney and tomato sauce or Kasundi(mustard sauce).Serve them with evening tea/coffee or as a starter with some aerated drinks/mocktails.

This below picture will give a better view of the stuffing inside the cutlet with few peanuts popping out. I really liked the bite of peanuts in the cutlets.If you keep the cutlets longer the peanuts will become soft,so its better you consume them immediately after you prepare them.

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Beetroot Curry | Beetrool Stir fry(Poriyal) | Easy Side dishes

After a heavy dose of oily food and sweets from the past couple of weeks because of Diwali I have been preparing very simple food for the last couple of days.This is a simple stir fry recipe which is prepared in most of the south Indian house holds.It goes well with steamed rice or as a side dish for sambar/rasam and dal rice.

 

Beetroot Stir fry | Beetroot Palya(Curry) Recipe:

(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

2 big Beetroots,peeled and finely chopped

1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut

3-4 Green chillies

2 whole Red chillies

1 tbsp Chana dal

1 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

8-10 Curry leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon(optional)

a pinch of Asafoetida

salt to taste

2 tsp Oil

Method:

• Steam chopped beetroot pieces with few pinches of salt either in pressure cooker(without whistle) or steamer for 8-10 mins.You can even microwave them on HIGH for 4-5 mins.Strain them and keep aside.
• Heat a spoon of oil in a pan/kadai and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add asafoetida,chana dal,urad dal,red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
• Grind grated coconut with green chillies and salt to a coarse masala.It should not become a paste,it should be like just roughly coarse ground masala.
• Add cooked and strained beetroot pieces and stir fry for 2 mins.
• Now add ground coconut-green chili masala and fry for another minute or two.
• Switch off the flame and add lemon juice and give a stir.

Serve it with rice,dal/rasam/sambar and papad.

Variations:

1. You can follow the same process for vegetables like carrots,beans-carrot,raw banana,cluster beans,yard long beans,cauliflower etc.
2. You can skip the steaming part and can make with the vegetables like ladies finger,cabbage etc.You need to saute them well for 7-8 mins before adding ground coconut masala.
3. You can add red chili powder instead of green chillies,it would slightly change in color.
4. You can add 1 tbsp kurala podi along with the ground coconut masala to the stir fry,in that case reduce the amount of green chillies to 2 in the recipe.This gives a nice taste to curry.
5. If you want you can add finely chopped onion to the pan and saute well and then proceed with adding chopped beetroot pieces and ground masala.

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Vegetable Dosa

Bangaloreans are great foodie's and if you ask them about their favorite food, they will be having a big list and a special place for each item .During my last trip to Bangalore my bro took me to a street joint in Jayanagar suggesting that he is very famous for his softest khaara Idli. That guy opens only after 7 pm and as the place is always over-crowded typically most of his fare gets over soon. As we reached a bit late there, we could not taste his famous Idlis but were lucky enough to get to taste another signature dish,Vegetable dosa.That was the first time I got to know that such kind of dosa's exist!! They were extremely soft and fluffy like set dosa's.Mom who again is a great foodie tried this after getting different versions from her sister and friends. She has passed this lovely recipe to me which is just perfect and yummy and always turn perfect.
But the blogosphere is lot ahead of us and I noticed that many of you have already posted different versions of dosa. The preparation of this dosa is slightly different from the other vegetable dosa's available in blogs. I have seen that a lot of people add vegetable puree to dosa batter but in my version even vegetables are added while grinding the rice and fermented which gives a different taste to the dosa and is more flavorful. Gals,Do give it a try and I am sure you will love it.
Does the batter looks like strawberry lassi for you??It does look like that for me...:)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Raw rice(normal rice)
1 handful Urad dal(less than1/4 cup)
1/4 Cup chopped Lauki(bottle gourd)
1/4 Cup chopped Cucumber
1/4 Cup chopped Beetroot
1/4 Cup chopped Carrot
1/4 Cup chopped Tomato(optional)
Salt to taste


Method:

• Soak rice and urad dal separately for 6-7 hrs.
• Grind Urad dal to a smooth mixture and add rice to it and grind it again.
• Now add all the chopped vegetables to it and grind it to a smooth mixture.Add salt to it and mix.
• Ferment it overnight and make dosa's next day.
• These dosa's are crispy outside and soft inside.Dosa's can be spread thick like Set dose or spread it thin to get crispy one's.

Serve it hot right off from the flame and on to the plate with some coconut chutney/peanut chutney or sambar.

Note:

• As the vegetables provide softness to the dosa do not add more than a handful of urad dal while preparing the batter.Otherwise the dosa's will be messed up.
• You can add finely chopped coriander while making Dosa's,but I personally prefer to make the plain dosa's and prepare a chutney that goes with this.
• Always Cover the dosa with lid once it is spread and keep it on medium flame.Let it sit for approximatley one minute then remove the lid and increase the flame to high until you see the red patches forming and do not flip the dosa.This makes the dosa crispy.
• You can even sprinkle kaarappodi inside the dosa before folding it.

This again goes to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se.

and also to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen

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Vegetable Sandwich....in Mumbai Style

We all know that Street food is very popular in Mumbai,One among those sinful delicacies is this delicious and simple Vegetable Sandwich.One can get to see atleast 3 to 4 Sandwich waalas standing in every lane here in Mumbai.These sandwiches taste amazing with the smell of fresh butter on it.Here comes this simple recipe..

Ingredients:
6 Whole wheat Bread slices or regular sandwich bread
1 Potato, boiled and thinly sliced rounds
1 Beetroot, boiled and thinly sliced rounds
1/2 cucumber,thinly sliced rounds with skin on
1 capsicum,de seeded and thinly sliced rounds
1 onion,thinly sliced rounds
1 Tomato,thinly sliced rounds
1/4 cup Green Chutney
1 tsp Chaat masala
Miracle Whip,the magic ingredient
Salt to taste
Butter


Method:

• Apply green chutney on one side of all the bread slices.
• Arrange the thinly sliced vegetables on each bread slice and sprinkle salt and chaat masala over it generously.
• Form a three-tier sandwich and apply butter on the outer slices and grill it until its crisp and golden brown in color.
• Remove the top slice and spread/pour the miracle whip over it and cover with the removed slice.Apply butter on top of it and sprinkle some chaat masala over it.
• Cut it into half in Triangle shaped Toast or else it can be cut into 9 pieces.

Serve it hot with the Tomato ketchup.


Note:

• Green Chutney is a simple blend of mint and coriander leaves with green chillies,salt,sugar and lemon juice.
• Adding of miracle whip is completely optional.That is my personal touch as I feel the taste of the sandwich is really enhanced by the miracle whip.
• You can even place a cheese slice on one of the layers of the bread before grilling it which will make this taste even better.

This vegetable sandwich goes to "RCI:MUMBAI Street Food" event hosted by Aquadaze which was originally started by Lakshmi

and to "Show me your breakfast" Event by Divya of Dil se

and this also goes to "EFM Theme - Breakfast Series" @ Srish Kitchen.

Note Updated:
As many of you are not aware of this Miracle Whip, I would like to share its picture which will be more helpful to spot it easily in your Grocery Store.As it is not available in India easily I generally ask my husband to pick it up for me on his business trips and I am sure you guys get it easily in our local American Grocery Stores.Try adding this to Sandwiches , burgers and rolls which makes it taste even better.

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Ragi Rotti

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Ragi flour
1/4 cup groundnuts
1/4 cup grated beetroot
1/4 cup grated bottle gourd
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp powdered jaggery
2 tbsp chopped corriander
1 tsp green chilli paste
salt

method:





Dry roast groundnuts,remove the skin and grind it to a coarse powder.
In a big bowl mix onion,beetroot,bottle gourd,corriander,chilli paste,salt,tamarind pulp,jaggery,groundnuts and add ragi flour to it and and mix everything,add warm water and mix it to a thick dough.

Take a tawa and apply some oil to the tawa,take a orange size dough and pat it with a hand to a thin roti(use little water to aid in patting the roti in between).pour a spoon of oil all over,cover it with a lid and cook it on medium flame for 3-4 mins until its done.remove it from heat and serve it hot with fresh(or store bought) butter and chutney or pickle.

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