Beetroot Dal

 So I have been trying to find different dal recipes because I am kind of getting bored with the "usual". If you have read my blog a few times..."getting bored" is a recurring theme with me. The food I cook tastes pretty good but sometimes (more times than not) I miss my mom's hand cooked food. My daadi ammi...my paternal grandma was also a super awesome cook. But her recipes were very traditional.

My mom was the experimenter. But everything she touched/cooked turned super delicious. Someimtes I think how she might have got the recipes for things she cooked, which now I know have nothing do do with Indian cuisine. She was just awesome in so many ways.

Anyway...this dal is just an experiment on my side and it turned out super delicious and more importantly the hubby loved it. Hope you enjoy it too 

Beetroot Dal (Split Pigeon peas cooked in Indian spices along with Beetroot)

Beet root dal

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup split pigeon peas toasted (toor dal)
2. 1 can beet root drained, chopped into small pieces (or 1-11/2 cup of fresh beet root peeled and chopped)
3. 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 green chillies, 2 red chillies
5. 1 tablespoon each of coriander powder, chole masala (or amchur powder)
6. 1 teaspoon each of chopped garlic and chopped ginger, cumin powder, chilli powder, cumin, mustard seeds
7. 1/2 tablespoon oil
8. few curry leaves
9. handful of coriander leaves

In a pressure cooker add the toasted dal and beetroot and cook it for 4 whistles with 2 cups of water. Let the steam escape and open the cooker.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustad seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin and curry leaves and dried chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they start turning brown. Add the green chillies, gralic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the cooked dal and all the spices and 2 more cups of hot water and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

More Beetroot recipes

Indian beans and Beetroot fry

Simple Beetroot fry

Indian Beetroot bread
Yummy Beetroot rice

I got onto the Generative AI band wagon and asked the GPT to write the above recipe in a funny way. And here is what it wrote

Okay, here we go, get ready for some dramatic recipe reading!

"Alright, buckle up, buttercup, because we're about to embark on a culinary adventure so thrilling, so beetroot-y, it'll make your tastebuds do the tango!

First, you're gonna grab your pressure cooker – you know, that magical metal pot that can turn a humble lentil into a superhero of flavor? Toss in your toasted dal (because toasting makes everything fancier, duh!) and those ruby-red beets – the earth's little jewels. Now, add two cups of water. Don't be stingy! These guys need a good bath. Clamp that lid on tight and let 'er rip! Four whistles, people! That's the magic number. (Or is it? Maybe it's five. Just kidding! It's four. I think.)

Once the steam escapes (because we don't want any exploding pressure cookers, thank you very much!), carefully open the lid. Behold! Your dal and beets are now best friends, swimming in a crimson sea.

Next, grab a pan. Any pan will do, as long as it's not the one you use to bake socks in. Heat up some oil – just enough to make the mustard seeds do their happy dance. When they start popping like tiny firecrackers, toss in the cumin seeds. They're like the cool, calm cousins of the mustard seeds. Then, add the curry leaves. They're the fragrant superstars of this dish. Don't forget the dried chillies! They're the spice ninjas, adding a kick to the party. Fry this aromatic crew for a minute, until they're all mingling and smelling amazing.

Now, throw in the onions. They're the life of the party, always bringing the flavor. Cook them until they start turning a lovely shade of brown. Then, add the green chillies, garlic, and ginger. This trio is the flavor powerhouse of the dish. Stir it all together for a minute, letting the magic happen.

Pour in the cooked dal and beets. They're the stars of the show, remember? Add all the spices – because spices are like fairy dust for food. And don't forget two more cups of hot water. Hot water is like a warm hug for your dal. Let it all simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until it's reached peak deliciousness.

Finally, garnish with cilantro – the confetti of the culinary world! And then… EAT! Enjoy your beetroot dal masterpiece! You're a culinary genius! (Or at least you will be after this.)"

Aloo Besan squares

Besan is Chick Peas flour. It is super delicious if you know how to cook with it and make sure it is cooked through.  This is similar to Aloo Bonda  but instead of  deep frying these I made the batter like a crepe and add the potato curry to it and toasted it again. Yum yum.
And I serve this deliciousness with beet root chutney

Aloo Besan Squares (Potato curry wrapped into a chick peas flour and toasted again with mustard seeds)

Potato curry for the stuffing

Potato stuffed chickpeas squares

Ingredients

1. 3 cups chick peas flour or besan
2. 1 cup plain yogurt
3. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon ajwain (optional)
5. oil for frying
6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Beat the yogurt along with 1/2 cup water and salt. Add the besan to it and the ajwain if using and stir to combine and make the batter a little thinner than pancake batter. Set aside.

Heat a griddle.

Take a ladle of batter and drop it into the center. With light pressure and outward motion spread the batter into a circle 6 inches wide. Drizzle some oil on the perimeter. Cook in medium flame for a min till the edges start to rise. Flip the "dosa" and fry for a inute. Flip again. Add 2 tablespoons of cooked potato curry into the center and close it into a square. Set aside and continue with making the others.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to a pan and add the mustard seeds to it and cover on a medium flame. Let all the mustard seeds splutter. Add the besan squares seam side down and fry for a minute. Enjoy with Beet root chutney

Beetroot Chutney (Beet root dip for Dosa and idly)

Beet root chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 can beetroots drained
2. 1/2 tablespoon urad dal
3. 1 tablespoon chana dal
4. 2 red chillies
5. 1 inch ginger
6. 2 garlic
7. 1 small piece of tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup water
8. 1/4 cup dried coconut flakes
9. 1 teaspoon salt
10. 1 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the urad dal and chana dal and the red chillies for a couple of minutes. Add ginger and garlic and coconut and fry for a minute. Add the drained beetroot and cook for 5 minutes. Cut the heat and let it cool.

Grind all the ingredients along with the tamarind + water and salt to a smooth paste. Serve as is or temper it with 1 teaspoon oil + cumin + urad dal+ red chillies+ curry leaves and enjoy

Pink rice with Mughlai Baby Corn

I am running low on vegetables and when I went to the Indian stores for vegetables on Sunday, it was super crowded and I couldn't find a parking space. So I didn't go shopping and I don't have much in my fridge. So I am left with canned vegetables since I didn't want to cook any non-vegetarian.
            So today's menu is Pink Rice (Pink color is from the beet root) and Mughlai style baby corn with carrots. And this is such a treat for the eyes as well as the stomach. It is so very healthy too.

Pink Rice (Fried rice with beet root)

Beet Root Rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups rice cooked
2. 1 can shoe string beet root drained (2 cups red beet root cubed and boiled)
3. 1-11/2 tablespoons dry roasted sesame seed powdered
4. 1-2 tablespoons oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal (soaked in water for 10 minutes)
6. Few curry leavs
7. 2 green chillies sliced

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal for a few minutes. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry till they start spluttering. Add the beet root and salt to taste and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the sesame seed powder and handful of chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Serve

Mughlai Baby Corn (Baby corn and carrots in a creamy spicy gravy)

Mughlai Baby Corn

Ingredients:

1. 1 can baby corn drained
2. 2 medium carrots cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3. 1/2 cup sliced red onions
4. medium small white/yellow onion
5. 2 tablespoons oil divided
6. 1 tablespoon each of heaped plain yogurt beaten, tomato paste
7. 1/2 cup each of water, milk
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, coriander powder, garam masala, sugar
9. 1 inch ginger
10. 2 garlic pods
11. 1/2 bell pepper cubed (optional)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the sliced red onion till they become crispy. Drain and set aside. 

Boil the white/yellow onion along with cumin, ginger and garlic in a microwave safe boil, covered with a little water for 2 minutes. Grind to a fine paste.

Boil the baby corn and carrots in the same way for 2 minutes.

In a pan heat the remaining oil and if there is any oil left from the fried onion and fry the onion paste till it starts to change color. Add the spices and tomato and stir to combine and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and stir. Reduce the heat and add the beaten yogurt, milk and water and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes. Give it a taste test and adjust seasoning. Garnish with fried onions and serve