Chukandar ka Raita: Beetroot Raita

Making beetroot raita is like taking a complementary course in color therapy. Boil the beets – witness the transparent water turn a purple-red. Peel, trim, grate – get your fingers prettily tinted. Fold grated beet into plain yogurt – behold swirls of white-pink so vivid, you’d be reminded of rubies and pale silk. This beetroot raita, I promise, will make the staidest meal come alive.

You Need:

[For 5-6 servings]

• Beetroot – 2 small
• Plain yogurt (dahi) – 3 cups
• Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Red chili powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Tadka ingredients:

• Peanuts, raw and unsalted – 1 tablespoon
• Urad dal – 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Dry red chilies – 2
• Asafoetida powder – a pinch
• Salt – a pinch
• Peanut oil – 2 teaspoons

How To Make Beetroot Raita:

1. Prep the beets

Wash and place the beets in a pan. Add two cups of water to the pan and bring it to a boil. Simmer covered for 15mins. Switch off the heat and let the beets sit in the hot water for another 30mins.

Uncover the pan, pick the cooked beets out of the water. Peel or scrape the skin off the beets. Cut and discard the hard top and bottom.

Using a grater, grate the beets.

You could grind coarse or fine, according to your liking – I have kept in coarse.

2. Prep the yogurt

Whisk the yogurt till smooth.

Add salt, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder.

Mix well.

4. Blend and temper

Stir in the grated beets into the seasoned yogurt.

Do the tadka: heat two teaspoons of oil in a tadka ladle. Set heat to low to prevent burning. Add to the hot oil, mustard seeds and peanuts. When the peanuts just begin to turn color (watch carefully, a few seconds here and there can turn tadka from underdone to burnt), add urad dal, torn dry red chilies. Stir with a clean dry spoon. As soon as the urad dal turns brown, add asafoetida powder and salt. Switch off the heat.

Pour the tadka into the beetroot raita. Tip: Mix three-quarters of the tadka in, use the rest as topping.

Beetroot raita (chukandar ka raita) is ready.

Garnish with a sprinkling of roasted cumin powder and (optionally) chopped coriander. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Meal below: chapatis, capsicum tomato saute, goji berry dal, beetroot raita.

Notes:

Enjoy offbeat raitas? Then you should also try chayote raita, bathua raita, drumstick raita.