I’ve never been fond of beetroot—right from childhood, it was something I ate under protest, only because the grown-ups said it was “good for me.” Despite its well-known health benefits, it never quite won me over. Now, years later, irony has the last laugh: my haemoglobin is low, and I’ve been advised to eat beetroot daily. Sweet revenge, indeed. But rather than sulk, I’ve started experimenting, and I’ve actually come to enjoy discovering new ways to make it tasty. Here’s one such recipe that surprised me—in a good way

Ingredients
2 small beetroots, peeled, rinsed and cubed
2,25 cups water (2 cups to the cooker, 0.25 cup to the bowl of beet root cubes)
1 tsp cumin seeds (sabut jeera, jeeragam)
1 tsp whole black pepper
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (sabut dhania, kothmallai varai)
1 dry red chilli, broken into two and seeds removed
1 tbsp tamarind paste (soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and extract juice)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (sarson, kadugu)
Another dried red chilli, broken and seeds removed
1 sprig curry leaves
A generous pinch of asafoetida (hing, perunkayam)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi, manjal podi)
Unrefined salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Method
Add 1/2 cup water to the beetroot cubes
Steam the beetroot till tender
Set aside
Meanwhile, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2/tsp pepper corns, 1/2 coriander seeds and 1 red chilli to a blender
Grind to a reasonably coarse powder
Set aside
In the same blender jar, add the steamed beetroot
Add the tamarind
Grind to a smooth paste
Set aside
Heat a pan and add mustard seeds
When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add remaining red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida
Roast for a few seconds till the red chilli changes colour and the curry leaves become crisp
Add the spice powder
Mix and roast on low flame
Add 2 cups of water
Add beetroot and tamarind puree
Ad salt and turmeric powder
Remove from heat
Garnish with coriander leaves
Serve hot with red/brown/millet rice and crisps
Can also be served as a soup
Enjoy!