My family loves beetroot so I use it often to make salads, stir fry, pulao, raita, curry, kootu, sambar, halwa, juice and smoothies. Mostly I use it raw or lightly sauteed to retain the nutrients in the beets. This beetroot chutney is made in Andhra style just like any other vegetable chutney made in Andhra cuisine. Most times I pack it in the lunch box for the kids along with paratha or phulka. To make this beetroot chutney, I have sauteed chopped beets lightly in a pan to make them slightly tender. But they can also be steamed in a steamer & used. You can also grate it in a processor and use. This recipe is a basic version & you can make so many variations like adding some coconut or onions to it. Beetroot chutney gets a good flavor from roasted chana dal and urad dal. They can be replaced with peanuts or white sesame seeds. Tamarind paste is used to give a mild tang to the chutney. Since I do not favor tamarind much in my foods I have used lemon juice. Also lemon juice removes the strong smell of beetroot. I have used a mix of green and red chilies, you can replace one of them with the other to suit your taste. More Chutney recipesTomato chutneyCarrot chutneyTomato pachadiSorakaya pachadi
Preparation for beetroot pachadi
- Heat a pan with little oil. Fry dal till lightly golden. Add green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves, garlic or ginger. Switch off the stove when the red chilies are roasted and curry leaves turn crisp.
- Add cumin to the hot pan and stir everything well. You can set aside little of this for garnish or for seasoning towards the end. Cool the roasted ingredients completely.
- To the same pan, add grated or cubed beetroot. If grated beetroot, just saute for 2 minutes. Cubed beets need to be sauted for about 4 to 5 minutes or till they get discolored.
How to make beetroot chutney
- Add the cooled ingredients and blend to a smooth or coarse chutney to suit your liking. We don’t need to add water, moisture from beetroot is enough to keep the chutney moist.
- Lastly add lemon juice and blend once more. Garnish beetroot chutney with seasoning that was set aside. Serve with rice, paratha or chapathi. For more Beetroot recipes checkKerala beetroot thoranBeetroot parathaSimple beetroot stir fryBeetroot pulaoQuick beetroot halwaBeetroot apple smoothie