Beetroot vegetable /#चुकन्दर की सब्जी (Indian Savory Of Beet Root)

Beet Root Vegetable

Beet root like any other underground vegetable is very rich in Vitamin A. It has its own sugar content which gives it a sweet taste. It is a very healthy vegetable which makes the salads, pickles colorful and tasty. I love beet root boiled and cut to slices, with a pinch of salt. But one preparation I had in house boat in Kerela is one of the best preparations. This is very simple to make, has least amount of oil and absolutely delicious.

Preparation Time: 10 min.

Cooking Time: 10 min

Servings: 4 Medium Servings

Ingredients Required For making Beet Root vegetable:

• 250 gm. Beet root

• 2-3 Green chilies

• 1/2teaspoon Mustard seeds

• 1/2Teaspoon Cumin seeds

• 1 Pinch Asafoetida

• Salt to taste

• 1/2 1 ml. Olive oil / any cooking oil

Directions For making Beet Root Vegetable:

• Wash and boil whole beet root till it is tender. (5 min. in cooker after pressure is built in cooker / 15-20 min. in open vessel)

• Remove the seeds from green chilies and cut them finely.

• Cool the boiled beet root.

• Peel and grate the boiled beet root.

Boiled,Peeled and Grated Beet Root

• Heat oil in a wok till oil is smoking hot.

• Add

• Mustard seeds

• Cumin seeds

• Finely cut green chilies

• Asafoetida

Seasoning (Tadka) for Beet Root Vegetable

• Let the seeds splutter. (it will take 30-40 sec.)

• Add grated beet root and mix nicely.

• Add salt and mix.

• Cover and cook on low flame for 5 min with stirring two /three time in between.

• Remove the wok from heat and add lemon juice and mix. Cover and keep for 2-3 min. This will ensure the mixing of lemon juice in the beet root.

Beet Root Vegetable Ready to be Served

• Take out in a serving bowl and garnish with mint/cilantro.

Beet Root Vegetable

• Serve with hot rice / roti / Appam.

Tips:

• Beet root does not become soft like potato when boiled. The texture and hardness of beet root changes once it is boiled. Do not fear if it is boiled for slightly longer or lesser time.

• Lemon juice should be added once the vegetable is cooked. Lemon juice if cooked it turns bitter.

Suggested Variations:

• Boiled beet root can be cut to thin slices and then cooked.

• Amchur can be added instead of lemon juice. If amchur is added then it should be added along with salt.

Tirangi Poori ( Deep fried Tri color Indian Bread)

Tirangi Puri

The color used in making the puris are not artificial but of vegetables!!! They look so attractive that by the time you have made them they will vanish into the stomach of your family!! They are also excellent to make for picnic basket / taking for traveling /lunch box of the children. So surprise your husband and children by keeping tricolor puri in their lunch box. Beware you will find jealous faces of ladies staring at you when you get the appreciation from their husband for the variation of food you pack for your family !!!


Preparation Time: 20 - 25 min.

Cooking Time: 15 – 20 min.

Servings: 20 – 25 Puri

                                                                    

Ingredients  Required  To Make Tirangi Puris:

• 250 gm. Whole Wheat Flour
• 100 gm. Spinach
• 25 gm ( one medium size ) red tomato
• 1/2  Tea spoon salt
• 5 – 10 ml. cooking oil to make dough
• 200 ml. cooking oil to fry
• Water to make dough.

Directions To Make Dough :

• Remove the stalks from spinach and wash the leaves.
• Boil 100 ml. water and put the spinach leaves in it for 2min. remove and immediately put in cold water.
• Grind the leaves with as little water as possible to a fine paste. Keep the paste aside.
• Wash and cut tomato to 1cm. pieces.
• Put the tomato pieces in grinder and make fine thick paste. Keep the paste aside.
• Take whole wheat flour in a bowl and add salt to it.
• Mix the salt and flour mixture nicely.
• Add 5ml. of oil and mix with your fingers.
• If required add rest of the oil and mix.
• The mixture should resemble bread crumbs. (The requirement of oil changes with different brands of wheat flour.)
• Divide the flour, oil salt mixture into 3 equal parts.
• To one part add the spinach paste in little proportions and knead to soft but firm dough, if required add water while making the dough.

Dough with Palak(Spinach) pulp

• To second part add the paste of tomato  in little proportions and knead to firm but soft dough.

Dough with Tomato Pulp

• If required add water while making the dough.
• To the third part add water in little proportions and knead to make soft but firm dough.

Plain dough

• Take all three (Green, Red, White) dough keep them one over the other and roll to a single long roll with soft hands.

Rolls of Plain dough, Dough with Tomato pulp, and dough with pulp of palak stacked to be rolled together

• The roll of dough will look tri colored.

Roll of tricolor dough

Directions To Make Tricolor Puris :

• Take 200ml. cooking oil in a wok and heat it on high flame.
• When smoking hot lower the flame.
• Cut the tricolor dough roll into 20 – 25 pieces and make balls of them.

Tri color dough roll ready for cutting to pieces for making balls

Roll cut to pieces for being made to balls

Ball from tricolor dough

• Oil the rolling board and rolling pin with few drops of oil.
• Place the ball of dough in the center and roll to a round of 6 – 8 cm.

Ball of tricolor dough(plain, with tomato pulp, and with palak)

Ball of Tricolor dough (plain, with tomato pulp, and palak) rolled for frying

• Put it in the hot oil and fry on both sides by turning once or twice.

Tirangi Puri being fried

Tirangi Puri being fried

Tirangi Puri with Palak, Tomato and plain dough

• Repeat with all ball of tri color dough. 

Tirangi Puri

  Tirangi Puris  are ready. These puris are very tasty and nourishing as they are having different vegetables in it. Tirangi puris go well with any vegetable / nonveg . Or simply serve them with chutney / pickle if you do not have time or energy to make vegetables to accompany them , nobody will complain. 

Tips:

• Roll the dough while making the tricolor roll with gentle hands so as they retain their identity in the single tricolor roll.
• For those who are not adept in rolling the puris , first roll them one by one and keep separated on a greased plate  / clean newspaper, then heat the oil and fry them .

Suggested  Variations:

• Beet root can be taken instead of tomatoes.
• Mixture of pulp of boiled beet root and raw tomato also can be used instead of pure tomato or pure beet root pulp.
• If you take beet root then wash it and boil it before making to pulp.
• Methi leaves can be taken int he place of palak but do not make paste of methi leaves, if you will make paste of methi leaves then it will leave bitterish taste in puri.