"Spicy Beetroot~Tomato~Pudina Saar" ... A spicy-delicious saar with splendid blends and aroma of pudina/mint ... I often prepare beetroot tomato saar, but today there were a few pudina leaves that needed to be finished off, so added them on and I must say it turned out really aromatic ... you can serve it as an appetizer or with rice too .... Saarilicious….. Yummy Yumz ....
** Beetroot saar is nothing but our very own tomato saar to which you either add beet cooked water or by grinding a little bit of beetroot. I have posted this saar years back though it is only now that I see it being prepared and posted almost everywhere. Well, it is really heartening to see people catching up on recipes and trying them out in their homes, otherwise the very purpose of writing reams in blogs is a wasteful exercise. It does feel could when you see so many youngsters now wanting to try out new dishes, while many are still hesitant, God alone knows why. It is such a good brain and body exercise to spend time in your kitchen and come out with new dishes or follow a recipe to perfection, not to mention the feeling of satisfaction you get when you see beaming faces after tasting them. Though I am always a business women at heart and that is exactly where my heart lies but I must confess that I love trying out new dishes and I love the few hours of my morning session in the kitchen undisturbed very much. It gives me that freedom to live in my own world, keeping my mind blank from all worries, concentrating only on the food I am cooking, while all the time my mind wanders if I can do another dish, a quickie sort with anything that is available in my fridge. Though I loose myself listening to devotional music sung by renowned musician, sometimes as I keep preparing dishes, I am so lost in my thoughts that I even skip listening to the music, such is my concentration, and if that breaks, then all hell goes loose and I completely loose interest and then just hurry to finish off the work and run to office.
** I am so blessed to have a hubby who willingly gives me that space and time off office in the mornings to my kitchen adventures, well he should, isn’t it ?? after all he gets to relish them. But, yes, I am enjoying this mid phase of my life very much not to miss mentioning my lovely “Konkani Delicacies food group” friends, who always keep me live and kicking, that is the best thing to have happened to me in my life. Coming to the saar part, I prepare many different types of saar’s giving my own twist as we love this both as appetizer or when served with rice in my home. I have posted many types of saar in my Blog and each one is simply awesome in taste. Even beetroot saar or tomato saar has already been posted. The difference in this one is I have added on a large chunk of fresh pudina leaves along with some coriander leaves while grinding the same and trust me the saar has a lovely blend of pudina beet and is very aromatic and tasty. This saar is really good for health as beets have lots of healthy properties in them. Addition of beetroot to the saar not only enhances the taste but also gives it that deep blood red colour, which is otherwise difficult to get. Again, I have used sambar powder which is readily available in the stores almost everywhere and I do have a source where I get the best one, so never ventured into trying it out, though I do intend to try out my hand one fine day at preparing the masala too. You can use any sambar powder available to you or use the same one if you are preparing them at home too. Addition of jaggery though is a matter of choice, I suggest you do so as they blend in well with the masala and the saar always taste best with a little bit of sweetness.
** Here is my simple "Spicy Beetroot~Tomato~Pudina Saar" Recipe … My Style …
** Peel off the skin of one small sized beetroot and cut them into small pieces. Wash and cut one large sized tomato also into small pieces. Put them both in a pressure cooker along with 1 cup of water and pressure cook to 2-3 whistles. Remove and keep it aside for the pressure to fall on its own. Once cooled, open the lid and let cool completely.
** Once the cooked ingredients have been completely cooled, put it in mixer grinder along with the water in which it is cooked. Add in one cup of cleaned and washed pudina/mint leaves, a handful of coriander leaves and grind it all to a very smooth paste. Try making it to a very smooth paste. Remove and add it into a stainless steel vessel along with 3-4 cups of water and mix well.
** Add in 1 large or 2 medium sized tomatoes cut into small pieces to the ingredients in the vessel. Bring all the above ground ingredients all to a boiling point, then let it simmer aside, while you prepare the tempering of the same.
** For Tempering : Heat 2-3 tblsp of oil in a medium sized kadai, when hot lower heat and add in ½ tsp of jeera (cumin seeds), 1 tsp of rai (sasam / mustard), when they splutter add 8-10 curry leaves and fry further for a minute. Now add 1 tsp of hing powder and 3 tblsp of sambar powder and fry well for a minute. Remove and pour over the cooking saar mixture and mix well.
** Check the consistency of the saar, saars are usually thinner in texture than dals, so add in water if need be and mix well. Add in 2-3 tblsp of grated jaggery, ½ cup of finely chopped coriander leaves, salt to taste and bring it all to a good boil and then simmer the saar on low to medium heat for a good 15 to 20 minutes till it reduces a little bit in quantity. Remove and serve hot with rice or as an appetizer.
** "Spicy Beetroot~Tomato~Pudina Saar" is done and ready to be served. Always serve saar piping steaming hot as it cools down fast when added to rice. The taste lies in hot saar which is very appetizing to relish on. Also do not worry if you cook saar in larger quantities, the saar always tastes better with resting period. I always cook for 2 days and it always tastes better the second day.
** You can relish this saar as an appetizer, soup or with rice along with other dishes. Saar or Dal is a must for Dal in most of Konkani Saraswat Amchi homes, as in our community though we relish masala dishes, we love having rice with either dal or saar and in my home too we love both and it is a must specially so in thali. Do try out this variation of saar and relish it with your family and friends. I am sure your family will love the taste of this aromatic pudina/mint flavored saar.
** Note : Please do add on the jaggery to saar for taste and do not exempt it while preparing the saar. Though the saar taste good, with addition of jaggery it excels in taste. If need be or for health issues you can cut down to 2 tsp if necessary. Trust me, try this variation of saar once and you will get hooked on to the same and will repeat it every time for sure.
** Note : Please do simmer the saar after addition of the tempered masala powder for a good 15 minutes. The secret to a good aromatic saar always depends upon cooking the masala powder well, so that the flavors seep into the saar from the powder and bring in the aroma. So don't take short cuts here.
** I am also sharing the link below to the other method of preparing tomato saar with addition of beetroot, check that out too, I am also adding a common link below that for other saar recipes which you can give a try out too at your own leisure and try them out and relish with your family and friends.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.
** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 19K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….
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