Beetroot Thoran

4.89 from 9 votes

Beetroot thoran is a dry and delectable mildly spiced dish made with beetroots having sweet notes from the beetroot as well as the coconut.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Easy

Servings:

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

3 medium sized beetroots or 2 large beetroots, finely chopped or grated
⅓ cup grated fresh coconut
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds - optional
4 to 5 shallots, quartered or sliced
10 to 12 curry leaves, whole or chopped
1 or 2 whole red chilies
1 green chili, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon red chili powder - optional
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder - optional
2 tablespoon coconut oil or sunflower oil
salt as required

masala powder: spices crushed to a medium coarse powder in a mortar pestle or use ¼ teaspoon garam masala - optional

1 cardamom
2 peppercorns
½ inch cinnamon
1 clove

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a kadai or wok.
Add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds.
The cumin seeds will start to sizzle now. Immediately add the shallots.
Fry the shallots on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Now add the whole red chili, chopped green chili and ginger.
Fry for a minute. Add the curry leaves.
Lower the flame & ddd all the dry masala powders including the crushed and powdered whole garam masala.
Make sure not to burn the masala.
Fry for a half a minute and then add the beetroot. Mix the chopped beetroot with salt.
Cook the beetroot without a lid with occasional stirrings. If the beetroot is grated, they will cook faster.
This takes approx 10-12 minutes for grated beetroot.
You can also keep the beetroot slightly crunchy if you prefer.
When the beetroot is cooked, add the grated coconut and cook for a minute or two just for the flavors to blend in. Switch off the flame.
Serve beetroot thoran hot with rice, chapatis or even parathas.

Notes

1. To facilitate faster cooking of the beetroot, you could add some 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of water to the beetroot.
2. You can also cover and cook the beetroot.
3. if the moisture dries up and the thoran looks dry, then add some water while cooking

Nutrition