Appa had a way to make me eat beetroot. All he had to say was that I would get rosy cheeks and I cannot deny how many times I fell for it. My father is a man of simple tastes and that seems to reflect in his choice of food.

This beetroot recipe is by far one of the most simple recipes that I know and yet very versatile. Hence the option to use it in 3 ways as a salad, a side dish or even a starter. Beetroot is usually turned down by many, but trust me, I’ve had many converts with this recipe.

Ingredients

Beetroot -1 small one (Grated)

Green chilli-1-2(slit)

Shallots- 5-6 or Onion -1/2 (chopped)

Curry Leaves- 1 Sprig

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

For beetroot cutlet /patties

Boiled potato -1

Bread crumbs-1-2 slices of bread

Egg-1

Oil for deep or shallow fry

For beetroot raita or pachadi

Yoghurt – 1 cup or as per taste

Salt

For tempering

Oil -1 tbsp

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Dried Red chilly-2

Curry Leaves – 1 sprig

Method

Heat the oil in a deep dish

Once the oil has heated up, add the Mustard seeds and let it splutter

Add the green chillies and sauté it.

Sauté the onions or shallots till the edges turn slightly brown. Add curry leaves and sauté.

Sauté the grated beetroot until it loses the raw taste.

Add salt to taste and this can be served as a vegetable side and is suitable to have with rice or roti.

Beetroot Cutlets

Add the boiled and mashed potatoes to the sautéed beetroot

Discard the curry leaves and chillies at this stage if you do not prefer it in the cutlets as they would’ve already absorbed the flavours.

In a dry grinder, blend two slices of bread and set it aside in a bowl.

Beat an egg and set it aside.

Make the beetroot-potato mixture into smaller balls and flatten it to a half inch thickness

Add yoghurt to the beetroot mix and blend it well with a spoon till it reaches your preferred consistency.

Add salt to taste. This would tend to dilute the mix a little more.

Heat the oil for tempering and once it is heated up, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.

At this stage, add the dried red chillies and curry leaves.

Pour this oil over the beetroot-yoghurt mix.

The tempering stage can be avoided, if you prefer the healthy version.

This is fondly referred to as Peppa Pig Yoghurt at home by my kids!!

If it came from a plant, eat it;

if it was made in a plant, don’t.

~~~~~~ Michael Pollan