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BEETROOT RAITHA WITH COCONUT

Servings: 3 people as a side

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized beets
  • 1 ½ cups yogurt (see notes)
  • 2 green chillies
  • ¼ cup fresh coconut (see notes)
  • Salt, to taste

Tempering spices:

  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp split urad dhal
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 dried red chillies
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
  • 8 shallots or ½ an onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp oil

Instructions

  • Grate the beets with their skins on. Add the grated beets to a pan and season with salt. Add a touch of water (about 1 tbsp) and cook covered until they are tender.
  • Check occasionally and add more water if they start to stick to the bottom. Pinch a piece between your fingers and taste to check that they are done. Add to a bowl.
  • Grind the coconut and green chillies to a fine paste. Add to the cooked beets.
  • Tempering: heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add the cumin seeds, urad dhal, dried chillies and curry leaves. The urad dhal will start to brown in about 15 seconds. Add the chopped shallots at this stage and sauté until browned around the edges.
  • Tip the tempered spices into the bowl with the beets and ground coconut. Toss it all together with the yogurt. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
  • If the yogurt is too thick, add a bit of water to loosen.

Notes

Coconut - I used freshly grated coconut. Coconut slivers also work since they get blended anyway. If using frozen coconut - thaw slightly before blending.
I used homemade yogurt in this recipe. Store-bought tends to be thicker, so add less of it and enough water to loosen to the right consistency.
I use the same recipe with carrots and white pumpkin too - grate the carrots and keep them raw. Cube the white pumpkin and cook them the same way as the beets.