Beetroot Raita ( Beet salad with yogurt dressing); Meatless Monday.

For most of my meals, I have to have a raita or salad or Kosumbari present. This ensures that I get my daily vegetable quota regardless of what my main course is. I have to admit, that I also like the combination of cold raita with hot food! Weird right?? Well, then again may be not. Cold salads, raitas and condiments have been an integral part of the Indian cuisine and they are always served with main course that is hot. Anyways, that's something we could discuss at length about.. Let us save it for another time.I regularly make beet upkari( sauteed beets/ stir fry). Today, I am bringing to you another of my favorite raitas: beet root raita. We all know that beets are very healthy. Pair it with the probiotic that is yogurt and you have a very healthy dish that is delicious and very easy to rustle up!

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

Beet: 1 medium sized, boiled aldente
Yogurt: 1 cup
Green chilli: 1, chopped finely
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves( cilantro) for garnishing.

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal( split matpe beans): 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Red chilli: 1 small,broken

Method:

Beat the yogurt using a spoon until it is homogeneous. Add this to a bowl.

Peel and dice the cooked beet root. Add this to the above bowl. 

Add the chopped green chilli and salt and mix well.

Tempering:

Heat coconut oil in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds.

Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal . Sauté for 10 seconds. Add the curry leaves and red chillies. Add this to the above bowl.

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves ( optional).

Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve chilled.

I am bringing this to my friend Angie's Fiesta Friday #88!  Julie@ Hostess at heart and Liz @ Spades, spatulas and spoons are co-hosting this week!

Cooking made easy:

You can first peel, dice and then cook the beets too. I like to cook them first as it is much easier to chop them when they are already cooled . I also like to use the pressure cooker to cook them. I usually cook them when I am also cooking something else in the cooker; for example: rice.

Another cool trick is that I make raita out of beetroot upkari when it is  leftover the next day. Best use of waste.

Tip for healthy living:

Beets are known for their health benefits. It is the new superfood purported to help prevent many of the life-style related health conditions like blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.Studies have found that in blood pressure reduced significantly after consuming 500 ml of beet juice. It helps regulate the digestive system and prevent constipation due to it's high fiber content.It also helps reduce chronic inflammation due to the choline it contains. It is also supposed to have detoxifying properties and even help prevent the progression of dementia.

Food for thought:

Success is a ladder you cannot climb with your hands in your pockets. Unknown