Beetroot raitha

Summer is in and all the raithas and dips are swinging back into lunch menus in their full form. Raithas have always been a soothing combi for lunch and dinner menu. It can always serve as the perfect side for pulao, biryani, chapathi, parotta etc. A summer cooler perfect for these days

Personally I hate this vegetable and have this hatred from as long as i remember. There was no way I could get this into my diet. But then I figured I was instilling the same eating discipline into my kids eating habits which was not good for sure. I tried sticking this into our diet by making soups, cutlets and sometimes colorful chapathis and pooris. I accept that they have been pleasingly welcomed at the kids table but this recipe here was a fun and cool addition to my menu too. We got to know this recipe a couple of years ago when we were on a trip to kerala. That was the first time I got a chance to try this raitha and immediately fell in love with it. Now it is a common addition to our meals

                           

We all love this recipe so its a must in our homes every summer. My chotu kiddo names it "the pink raitha". So thats how we call it too. Try it and find out if it satisfies your taste buds too

Serves... 4 ppl

Serve option... Cold or Room Temp

This is what u'll need....

Beetroot - 1 medium
Onion - 1 small 
Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Broken urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves 
Curd - 1 cup
Salt to taste

Here is the stir....

• Wash, peel and finely grate beetroot. Yes theres gonna be a lot of color over hands :) but that is how it works with beetroot right???

• Transfer the grated beetroot into a nonstick pan

• Pour half a cup of water into the pan. Sprinkle some salt just a little for the beetroot alone. We will adding a little more later so keep it on the lesser side

• Bring this to a boil and let it cook it till all the water evaporates. Should not more than 4-5 mins. That is all it needs to get cooked

• Now take another pan and add a teaspoon of oil to it. When the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds. As the seeds start spluttering add broken urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies

• Chop onion finely and add it to the pan. Fry onions for a couple of mins with a little sprinkle of salt. Let this saute till onion turns slightly translucent

• Now time to add the curd. Whisk curd so that it is turns smooth and silky. I would suggest you use fresh curd. Sour curd might not taste as good in the dish. Pour this into the pan and and give it a quick stir. Cook on minimum heat till curd starts warming up. Dont put on high heat as the curd will start separating

• Toss in the cooked beetroot into the curd and turn off the flame. Give it a good stir and transfer to a serving bowl

• Serve it right away with any spiced rice or roti. Some prefer it chilled so you can make it ahead and refrigerate it for a while. I like the fresh version though :)

Note:

• Dont brown the onion. Leave it with a little bite for added flavor
• Fresh curd will make this recipe taste best
• Dont use too much oil, just a teaspoon should do the trick