Beetroot Pachadi
Beetroots are one of the very underestimated vegetables in our country. I hate it when it is cooked too much. I often eat it raw as a salad by adding some curd in it or make it into juice. Beetroots are one of stable vegetable in our house. If you look at our fridge there will be beetroots lying some where around the corner either near the vegetable tray or the dairy compartment or the egg tray, even Amma put it in the freezer one day(We found it rock hard on a busy day when Amma thought to make salad out of it). Since Amma and Aachi has iron deficiency we used to make beetroot juice daily. But she gets bored of it so soon and she stops it for a while. But she love it when I make this pachadi. It has a lovely pink shade colour to it. When beetroot is mixed with curd and coconut, it lost its bright red colour and turned into rich pink.
What is Pachadi?
Pachadi is a South Indian fresh pickle or a dish that is served as a side dish. It refers to food that has been pounded in broad terms. Pachadi is a side dish curry made with vegetables, yoghurt, coconut, ginger, and curry leaves and seasoned with mustard that is popular in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. This Pachadi is a spicy or mildly spicy coconut, green chilli, red chilli, and yogurt-based dish made with seasonal vegetables or fruits. It is made from fresh vegetables and is served with rice and snacks such as idli, dosa, and pesarattu. There are numerous vegetables included. Sometimes the peel of a vegetable is used, such as the peel of ridged gourd, known in Telugu as beerapottu pachadi. Pachadi is typically eaten fresh in Tamil Nadu and is made of finely chopped and boiled vegetables such as cucumber or ash gourd, coconut, green or red chillis, and oil tempered with mustard seeds, ginger, and curry leaves. It is typically served with rice and lentil curry.
About Beetroot Pachadi Recipe
Pachadi is made with curd in Kerala, as it is in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, in addition to the sour Pachadi, there is a sweet variant made with pineapple, grapes, or pumpkin. Many variations of the same key recipe can be found throughout Kerala. It is served with Vegetable Thali Rice in restaurants. It is also included in Sadhya, particularly Kerala Sadhya, which is popular during the Onam and Vishu festivals. Beetroots are delicious grated and will add some colour and crunch to salads, sandwiches, or grain bowls! Beets are high in folate (vitamin B9), which aids in cell growth and function. It can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Beets are naturally high in nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide.
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Beetroot Thoran Beets Sabzi Coconut Beet Barfi
Watch Beetroot Pachadi Video
Beetroot Pachadi Ingredients
Beetroot - Beetroot has an earthy, bright, sweet, and fresh flavours. In this recipe for making pachadi, you can either grate beetroot or chop them finely in a food processor. Fresh Coconut - You can use fresh or frozen coconut in this recipe. Also when grinding the coconut, make sure it is slightly coarse for better texture. Cumin Seeds - Cumin has a warm, earthy flavour and aroma that is slightly sweet and smoky. Green chillies - for the fresh masala, coconut is ground with green chillies. But you can use dry red chillies as well. Curd - curd used in this pachadi is thick, not too sour which makes it creamy. Also allow the beetroot mixture to cool completely before adding in the yogurt. Tempering - whole spices like mustard, split urad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves is used in tempering. Coconut oil - traditionally most of the Kerala recipes are cooked in coconut oil. It adds better flavour and taste.
Make Beetroot Pachadi taste Better
Grate or chop - for pachadi, it is important to chop or grate beetroots fine. So it literally disintegrates in the pachadi and becomes thick and creamy.
Beetroots should cool before adding curd - this step is important, make sure the sauted vegetables is cold or warm before adding yogurt. If you add yogurt when the vegetable mixture is hot, then there are chances of yogurt splitting or curdling.
Coconut oil - use fresh coconut oil for making the curry which gives an authentic Kerala taste to the dish.
Variations - This is the base recipe that you have to follow. You can use carrots, pineapple, mangoes or cucumber.
Kerala Beetroot Raita or Pachadi
Coconut paste - Grind coconut, green chilli and cumin seeds to a coarse paste by adding water. Cooking Beets - Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Add in peeled and grated beetroots along with little salt. Stir fry beetroots in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Now the beetroots must have cooked completely. Beet pachadi - Now add in the ground coconut masala and mix well. Cook this for 2 mins. Switch off the flame and take it off the heat. Let it cool completely and add in well beaten curd and mix well. Tempering - Make tempering by heating coconut oil and crackling mustard, urad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Pour this over the pachadi and mix well. Serve it with rice and any gravy.
How to Make Beetroot Pachadi (Stepwise Pictures)
Grating Beets
1)Peel beetroots and grate it using a box grater. You can even use a food processor to chop it very finely. Set aside.
Grinding Masala
2)Take fresh coconut , green chilli, cumin seeds in a blender. 3)Grind the mixture to a coarse paste. Don’t add too much water when grinding. Make it into a coarse mixture.
Sauteing Beets
4)Heat coconut oil in a kadai. 5)Add in grated beetroots in the kadai. Saute this for 3 to 4 minutes till raw smell leaves. 6)Sprinkle some salt over the beetroots and stir fry for few minutes. 7)Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes till the beets are cooked completely.
Adding Coconut
8)Add in the ground coconut mixture to the beets. 9)Stir fry the beetroots with coconut for couple of minutes. Remove the pan from heat, let it cool completely.
Making Pachadi
10)Add in un-sour yogurt or curd into the beetroot mixture. 11)Mix the curd really well into the beetroot mixture. Pro Tip: make sure the sauted vegetables is cold or warm before adding yogurt. If you add yogurt when the vegetable mixture is hot, then there are chances of yogurt splitting or curdling.
Make Tempering
12)Make tempering by heating coconut oil and crackling mustard, urad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves. 13)Let the spices fry in the oil. 14)Pour this over the pachadi and mix well. 15)Serve it with rice and any gravy.
Expert Tips
You can either grate your beets or chop them finely in a food processor. Instead of beetroots, you can use carrots, cucumbers or mangoes. Make sure the cooked beets is cooled completely before mixing in curd. Else curd may split or curdle. use coconut oil for best authentic taste.
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