May 27, 2015, Updated Jan 02, 2018 Such a pretty color, isn’t it? I mean the color of this raita. I’m so in love with this pretty magenta! Raita is always an integral part of Indian meals, it has to do with the fact that our food is full of spices and so we do need a cooling raita to balance off the heat. Raita is nothing but a yogurt dip to which we add little seasoning. It’s mostly made of vegetables but fruit ones are also becoming popular these days, like this pineapple raita. In my home, raita was served at least 3-4 times a week with our lunch. It was mostly onion raita or cucumber or spinach and of course the easiest and most popular one – boondi raita. “Boondi” is chickpea puffed balls which you easily get in the market and mixing them with yogurt makes one yummy raita. I don’t think beetroot raita is all that popular back home maybe because beetroot is not readily available through out the year in India.
Anyway like most raita, this beetroot raita is also super simple to make. One could boil the beets or use them as such but I roasted them. I love roasting everything and anything and so I had to roast the beet too. Once the beetroot is roasted, puree it and whisk it with yogurt. I added little tempering of ginger, curry leaves and mustard seeds to this gorgeous raita. You can skip it but it adds so much flavor, so I highly recommend. I also added some peanuts , you can skip or you use any other nut of choice. I think roasted walnuts would also be great in this beetroot raita. Beetroot is super healthy and this cooling raita is a great way to incorporate it in your diet this summer! Method – Start by roasting the beet. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Wash and pat dry the beet and then wrap it with a aluminium foil. Place in the baking tray and roast till it’s cooked all the way from inside. Mine was done in 40 minutes, a smaller beet might get done in 10 minutes. You know the beet is done when you are easily able to insert a knife all the way through. Once done, let the beet cool down completely and then chop into pieces. Pulse the roasted beetroot pieces to a puree using your food processor. You might have to add little water to puree it. Transfer the pureed beet to a bowl and add yogurt to it. Whisk till everything is well combined. Add some water depending on how thick on thin you like your raita to be. I kept it on the thicker side. Add salt, red chili powder, cumin powder and mix. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add chopped ginger, peanuts and curry leaves [not in picture] and saute for just few seconds. We don’t want to brown the ginger, just fry a little. Transfer the tempering to the raita and serve.
It’s best to chill the beetroot raita before serving. Enjoy as a accompaniment with any Indian meal.
- You can also boil the beetroot till it’s done if you don’t want to roast it.
- I used 1 large beetroot for this recipe. The puree was around 2/3 cup.
- Adjust the consistency of raita according to taste and preference. Add more water for a thin consistency raita.
- Use thick yogurt for best results. Roasted Beetroot Raita
title: “Roasted Beetroot Raita " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-04” author: “David Carron”
May 27, 2015, Updated Jan 02, 2018 Such a pretty color, isn’t it? I mean the color of this raita. I’m so in love with this pretty magenta! Raita is always an integral part of Indian meals, it has to do with the fact that our food is full of spices and so we do need a cooling raita to balance off the heat. Raita is nothing but a yogurt dip to which we add little seasoning. It’s mostly made of vegetables but fruit ones are also becoming popular these days, like this pineapple raita. In my home, raita was served at least 3-4 times a week with our lunch. It was mostly onion raita or cucumber or spinach and of course the easiest and most popular one – boondi raita. “Boondi” is chickpea puffed balls which you easily get in the market and mixing them with yogurt makes one yummy raita. I don’t think beetroot raita is all that popular back home maybe because beetroot is not readily available through out the year in India.
Anyway like most raita, this beetroot raita is also super simple to make. One could boil the beets or use them as such but I roasted them. I love roasting everything and anything and so I had to roast the beet too. Once the beetroot is roasted, puree it and whisk it with yogurt. I added little tempering of ginger, curry leaves and mustard seeds to this gorgeous raita. You can skip it but it adds so much flavor, so I highly recommend. I also added some peanuts , you can skip or you use any other nut of choice. I think roasted walnuts would also be great in this beetroot raita. Beetroot is super healthy and this cooling raita is a great way to incorporate it in your diet this summer! Method – Start by roasting the beet. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Wash and pat dry the beet and then wrap it with a aluminium foil. Place in the baking tray and roast till it’s cooked all the way from inside. Mine was done in 40 minutes, a smaller beet might get done in 10 minutes. You know the beet is done when you are easily able to insert a knife all the way through. Once done, let the beet cool down completely and then chop into pieces. Pulse the roasted beetroot pieces to a puree using your food processor. You might have to add little water to puree it. Transfer the pureed beet to a bowl and add yogurt to it. Whisk till everything is well combined. Add some water depending on how thick on thin you like your raita to be. I kept it on the thicker side. Add salt, red chili powder, cumin powder and mix. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add chopped ginger, peanuts and curry leaves [not in picture] and saute for just few seconds. We don’t want to brown the ginger, just fry a little. Transfer the tempering to the raita and serve.
It’s best to chill the beetroot raita before serving. Enjoy as a accompaniment with any Indian meal.
- You can also boil the beetroot till it’s done if you don’t want to roast it.
- I used 1 large beetroot for this recipe. The puree was around 2/3 cup.
- Adjust the consistency of raita according to taste and preference. Add more water for a thin consistency raita.
- Use thick yogurt for best results. Roasted Beetroot Raita
