Easy Beetroot Pachadi
Vibrant and full of flavor, this EASY Beetroot Pachadi is a delicious vegetarian, South Indian dish that comes together in less than 30 minutes! With its rich, natural pink hue, this creamy yogurt-based dish offers a perfect balance of delicate spices and subtle sweetness. Perfect as a side or with a carb/grilled protein for a full meal. Meal prep enthusiasts, this is a must have recipe in your collection!
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Based Pot
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
FOR THE BEETROOT YOGHURT BASE
- 3 whole beetroots or 250g, diced into small cubes
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp minced garlic use 2 fresh cloves OR minced from a jar
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ½ cup water more during cooking if necessary
- 2 cup Greek Style Yoghurt or 500g
- 2 tsp sugar
TO GRIND
- 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp minced garlic use 2 fresh cloves OR minced from a jar
- 1 green chilli
FOR THE TEMPERING/TADKA
- ¼ cup oil any, but preferably coconut
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ⅛ tsp fenugreek seeds optional
- 3 whole dried red chillies
- ½ sprig curry leaves approx 10 leaves
Instructions
- Cook the beetroot in a heavy-based pot, by combining diced beetroot, onion, minced garlic, turmeric powder, salt, oil, and water. Stir well, cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the beetroot is fork-tender. Then turn off the heat.
- Grind - meanwhile, in a small blender, grind desiccated coconut, garlic, cumin powder and a green chilli, into a coarse powder. Add this to the cooked beetroot and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in yoghurt and sugar until well combined. Let it warm through for another minute on low to medium heat. — but don’t let it simmer or boil, as the yogurt may split. Remove from heat.
- To prepare the tempering (tadka), heat oil in a saucepan until very hot. Add mustard seeds and let them pop, then stir in the fenugreek seeds and let them sizzle until lightly golden. Turn off the heat, then quickly add the whole dried chillies and curry leaves.
- Pour tadka over the beetroot and stir to combine. It's now ready to serve!
Notes
- COOKING BEETROOT: If the water dries up before the beetroot is fully cooked, add more as needed to keep it gently simmering until tender.
- GROUND INGREDIENTS: if your mixture turns out slightly wetter and more like a paste, as opposed to a powder that’s perfectly fine.
- YOGHURT: Once the yoghurt has been added, you just want to heat it through. Do not overheat or boil, as this could cause the yoghurt to curdle and split.
- TEMPER/TADKA: The oil must be very hot for the mustard seeds to pop, but not smoking! Once the mustard seeds finish popping (you’ll hear them stop), add the fenugreek seeds and let them sizzle until lightly golden (under a minute). Turn off the heat. I recommend removing the stovetop and lowering it into the sink to contain the splutter — just be careful not to let any water get into the hot oil! Quickly toss in the dried red chillies and curry leaves to finish the tempering.