Beetroot raita is a healthy Indian vegetarian side dish that goes well with roti or rice. I love it as a salad on hot summer days. It is made with chilled yogurt, shredded beets, and some seasoning. The tadka on the top is completely optional but highly recommended. It is a gluten-free recipe and vegan adaptable.
Last month I did a small survey with my family and friends about how often they use beetroot in their diet. I was really surprised to hear that it was once a month for some and others didn’t even eat it for years.
So, I shared this Beetroot lentil chili and Tomato beetroot soup recipe with them and they are absolutely loving it.
If you aren’t including beetroot in your diet then you are missing on some serious beet benefits.
Beets are really cheap price wise and full of nutrition. You cannot debate over the beautiful color it imparts to every dish. My kids love pink and red for everything. So, it’s easy for me to lure them in easting beets.
Did you know beetroot is a root vegetable that is a great source of potassium, dietary fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, iron, folate, manganese, and vitamin B6, and many more other vitamins and nutrients?
Consider reading about the health benefits of beetroot here.
Meal prep beetroot for easy cooking
- I like to pressure cook 4-5 beets a week and use it throughout the week for soups, salads, sandwiches pasta, curries, parathas. The list can actually go on!
- Few beets are shredded, some are sliced in a food processor and rest are pureed to use in various dishes.
- The preferred method to cook beetroot
- The easiest way to cook beets is pressure cook them with skin on.
- You just need to chop off the green leafy beet tops.
- Do not discard them. Beet tops make a delicious and healthy stir fry.
- Then wash the beetroot under cold tap water.
- Brush off any dirt sticking on the beets.
- Next, prick each beet 3-4 times with a knife.
- This will help beets to cook faster.
- Now pressure cook them without peeling in a stovetop pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.
- The skin of the beets will slide right off after cooking.
- Peel it once it’s not hot to touch or have completely cooled down.
- This method is so much easier than peeling and chopping raw beets.
Ingredients for making beetroot raita
The ingredient list is really small.
The main ones are yogurt and beets.
Some salt, roasted cumin and kala namak (black salt) sum up the seasoning.
The tempering i.e the tadka is totally optional. Especially if you want to keep it fat-free.
We love a little ghee tadka on the top with some urad dal, mustard and cumin seeds, a pinch of hing and sunflower seeds.
If you have curry leaves, fresh mint, and cilantro on hand please add it to the raita.
It just increases the flavor quotient of this side dish manifolds.
What to serve with beet raita?
This raita is good on its own as a salad.
It is best served with an Indian meal like pulao or paratha and subzi.
Best way to prepare beets for raita
Raw beets don’t taste good in the raita.
I prefer steaming beets in a pressure cooker and then shredding it in a food processor.
You can even choose to dice beets into small pieces instead of shredding them.
Make ahead of time tips
Steam beets, shred them, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Use homemade or store-bought plain unflavored yogurt.
You can use fat-free yogurt too.
Variations –
For a change, you can add finely chopped green chili or shredded cucumber or cabbage to the raita.
Consider using seasoning like dried mint in case fresh one is unavailable.
How to make vegan raita?
Simply swap dairy yogurt with non-dairy one.
I prefer coconut yogurt.
For the tadka use coconut oil.
KEEP IN TOUCH –
Are we friends yet? Let’s connect on-Facebook| Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Pin this recipe for later reference –
Some seriously amazing recipe using beetroot –
Healthy Mix Vegetable Subzi with Beetroot Boost
Red Velvet Savory Crepes Florentine
How to make beetroot raita?
Beetroot Raita
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup beetroot cooked & shredded (see notes)
- 3 cups Yogurt
- ¼ cup water to adjust the consistency if needed
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon kala namak black salt (see notes)
- Normal salt to taste if needed
- Pinch of cayenne red chili powder (optional)
For tempering (Optional)
- 2 teaspoon Ghee
- 2-3 Curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sunflower seeds
- 2 teaspoon roasted peanuts crushed coarsely
- 1 tablespoon water
- Few sprigs of fresh cilantro and mint finely chopped Optional
Instructions
- In a medium-size mixing bowl whisk yogurt until smooth.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons water at a time to adjust the consistency.
- Add in beetroot and seasoning.
- Check the taste and adjust salt if needed.
Tempering
- In a small saucepan heat up the ghee.
- Once warm add in a pinch of hing, cumin, and mustard seeds.
- When it starts to splutter add in curry leaves, peanuts, sunflower seeds.
- Immediately followed by a tablespoon of water.
- Now add the tadka to the raita and cover it with a lid immediately.
- Add in fresh herbs if desired.
- This raita is best served chilled.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- Stir well before serving.
PRO TIP - Putting a lid for a minute helps to retain the fragrance of the tempering.
Notes
Best way to prepare beets for raita
Raw beets don’t taste good in the raita. I prefer steaming beets in a pressure cooker and then shredding it in a food processor. You can even choose to dice beets into small pieces instead of shredding them.Instant Pot method to steam beets –
2-3 Beetroots, approx. 5-6” each 1 cup of water Method The easiest way to cook beets is pressure cook them with skin on. You just need to chop off the green leafy beet tops. Do not discard them. Beet tops make a delicious and healthy stir fry. Then wash the beetroot under cold tap water. Brush off any dirt sticking on the beets. Next, prick each beet 3-4 times with a knife. Or even better cut them into half. This will help beets to cook faster. Add 1 cup water to the pot. Place the trivet inside the pot. If you have steaming rack put it over the trivet. Add in the beets. Close the lid, the knob turned to the SEALING position. Press Manual High Pressure 18 minutes. Once the pot beeps place a towel on the black knob and perform a QUICK RELEASE. OR 14 minutes HP and natural release. When the silver pin drops down, open the lid carefully and prick the beets with a knife to check if they are done. The knife should glide in smoothly without any resistance.What to serve with beet raita?
This raita is good on its own as a salad. It is best served with an Indian meal like pulao or paratha and subzi.Make ahead of time tips
- Steam beets, shred them, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Use homemade or store-bought plain unflavored yogurt.
- You can use fat-free yogurt too.
Variations –
For a change, you can add finely chopped green chili or shredded cucumber or cabbage to the raita. Consider using seasoning like dried mint in case fresh one is unavailable.How to make a vegan raita?
- Simply swap dairy yogurt with non-dairy one.
- I prefer coconut yogurt.
- For the tadka use coconut oil.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply