Shwetha Bhat is passionate about food and cooking. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and share her recipes.

About Beetroot Poriyal

Poriyal is a South Indian dry dish in which grated or finely chopped vegetables are sauteed with spices and topped with lots of fresh, grated coconut. Poriyal is a very nice side dish that pairs well with a sambar-rice combo or a rasam-rice combo.

Beetroot poriyal incorporates beetroot, spices, and coconut. It is simple and easy to make, calling for only very basic ingredients. This dish is a combination of sweet and spicy, where the beetroot gives it a natural sweetness.

Beetroot has a very high nutritional value. It is a good source of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, manganese, potassium, and antioxidants. It is also low in fat.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 1/4 kilogram beetroot, grated
• 1 to 2 teaspoons coconut oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 to 2 red chilies, broken
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (split black gram)
• 5 to 10 curry leaves, fresh, whole, or chopped
• 1 to 2 green chilies, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder, or to taste
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup water, or as needed
• 1/2 cup fresh coconut, grated

Instructions

1. Wash, cut the ends, and peel the skin of the beetroot.
2. Grate the beetroot using a grater, or you can finely chop it. Set aside.
3. Grate 1/2 cup of fresh coconut. Set aside.
4. In a pan, heat oil or ghee. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
5. Add urad dal (split black gram). Fry over low flame, stirring often, until they become golden in color and aromatic.
6. Add curry leaves and broken dry red chilies. Fry.
7. Add slit green chili. Mix.
8. Add grated beetroot. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes over medium flame.
9. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Fry and mix everything properly.
10. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover the lid, and cook over medium flame. Check and stir in between. You can add more water if required.
11. Once beetroot is cooked and water dries up completely, lower the flame and add grated fresh coconut. Mix it well. Switch off the flame.
12. Serve hot with rice-sambar or rice-rasam combination.

Photo Guide

More About the Recipe

1. You can use finely chopped or grated beetroot to make this poriyal, but grated beetroot will take less time to cook compared to chopped beetroot.
2. If you are using chopped beetroot, you can save time by using a pressure cooker. Or you can cook it directly in the pan.
3. You can use the same recipe to make poriyal with other vegetables like cabbage, lady's finger, potato, beans, etc.
4. Ensure there is no water before adding coconut. Make sure that the water has completely evaporated.