Beetroot Kichadi / A tasty n colorful side dish for rice..

Beetroot Kichadi

Sometime back when my son was just about to start on solid food, my friend who is basically from Maharashtra , suggested me to give him some khichadi....At first it was the picture of Kerala kichadi in my mind and I was like , what........?

Then she explained to me what is Khichadi in Maharashtra and even gave me a sample to taste...That was indeed very delicious....Now that our friendship has grown over years, I too have learnt to make khichadi from her and we love to have it whenever we want a simple and easy one pot meal....

Kerala kichadi is totally different and is an important item in the sadya menu and the one made with beetroot, especially adds that lovely color to the platter served on plantain leaf....We also make kichadi with other veggies like cucumber , okra or even with banana or pineapple...Each one will give its own unique flavor to the dish...

So it is another authentic Kerala recipe that I am sharing today...And here it is

Ingredients

1. Beetroot                                           - 1 large [ grated. It was almost 1 1/2 cups]
2. Grated Ginger                                 - 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder                            - 1/4 tsp
4. Onion                                                 - 1/2 [ Or 2 to 3 shallots ]
5. Grated coconut                                 - 1/4 cup
6. Green chillie                                      - 1 large
7. Cumin seeds                                      - 1/2 tsp
8. Water                                                 - 1/4 cup
9. Beaten curd/ Yougurt                     - 1 cup
10. Salt                                                     - 1 tsp
11. Oil                                                       - 1 Tbsp
12. Mustard seeds                                  - 1/2 tsp
13. Curry leaves                                     - 1 sprig
14. Dried red chillie                                -  1 or 2 Nos

Preparation

1. Peel the beetroot and grate it.
2. Heat a pan and add half of the oil [ 1/2 Tbsp] to it. Now add the beetroot along with the grated ginger and keep stirring until the beetroot gets cooked. You can add little water to make the process faster. But I prefer not to add any. [ It took about 10 mins without water.]
3. In a mixer / blender , grind together ingredients 4 to 7 along with the water and make it a thick and smooth paste. Keep this aside.
4. Once the beetroot is cooked, add turmeric powder and salt and saute for a minute.
5. Now add the blended coconut paste to this and keep stirring until the raw smell from the onion is gone [for about 5 mins].
6. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
7. Once cooled, add the beaten curd and mix well. Check for salt and adjust depending on how sour the curd is. Transfer this to a serving bowl.
8. Now heat a small pan and add the rest of the oil. Once it is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add the red chillies and curry leaves and saute for a minute.
9. Transfer this on top of the prepared kichadi and it is now ready to be served along with rice.

Dont forget to try out this lovely Kerala recipe and Enjoy.......

Note : The recipe serves about 4 people.