Beetroot Sukka Masala.

Beetroot Sukka Masala using Sambar Powder .........

Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetable. Being versatile this vegetable gives me immense pleasure to try out various side dishes or snacks. Sometimes due to lack of time, energy or simply laziness I like preparing dishes in a jiffy. I always see to it that I have those particular vegetables stocked up in my refrigerator that can be prepared in no time or in emergencies. Grated coconut is also something that I always keep handy in the freezer. This one is one such dish that can be prepared within 15-20 minutes, if you have all these ingredients ready.

Ingredients :

Beetroot : 4 medium sized.

To be ground to a coarse paste :

Coconut : 1 cup freshly grated.

Sambar Powder : 3 tablespoons.

Tamarind : small marble sized or 1 tblsp tamarind paste.

Salt to taste.

For Tempering :

Oil : 1 tablespoon.

Mustard Seeds : 1 teaspoon.

Curry Leaves : 8-10.

Peel of the skin of the beetroot and cut them into medium sized cubes. Wash, drain and put it in a pressure pan with half a cup of water and cook to 2 whistles. Let the pressure drop on its own. Remove and keep this ready aside. 

Grind the coconut, sambar powder, salt and tamarind to a coarse paste without adding water. You can sprinkle some water if necessary. But the paste should not be smooth. This is a powder textured masala curry. Remove and keep aside.

In thick bottomed large kadai, add in the oil for seasoning, when hot add the mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add in the curry leaves and fry for a few secconds. Add the coarsely ground masala and the beetroot pieces. Leave out the water if any left from the beetroot, you can use it for preparing any soup. Mix the beetroot and masala well. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-8 minutes. Keep mixing in between, so that the masala does not get burnt. Yummy delicious Beetroot Sukka Masala is ready. Serve hot with Poori / Chapati / Paratha / Dal-Chawal.