Beetroot Pomegranate Juice

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1
Pomegranate - 1 
Lemon juice - 1 tblsp (or half a lemon)
Sugar/ Honey - 2-3 tblsp

Method
1. Wash the beetroot and peel the skin. Chop it into chunks and put it in a blender.
2. Cut the pomegranate and separate the seeds from the skin and the white membrane. Add these to the blender too. 
3. Blend these together with about 1/2 cup of cold water to a smooth purée.
4. Strain it using a big sieve into a large bowl.
5. Mix in the lemon juice, sugar and another cup of water. 
6. Enjoy this cool, refreshing and healthy Beetroot-Pomegranate juice.

Stuffed Bittergourd

(Masaledhar Karela, Pavakkai Varuval)

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Ingredients
Bittergourd (medium sized) - 5 nos
Peanuts (roasted) - handful
Onion (Medium sized) - 6 nos (chopped finely)  
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 5 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - less than 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
salt
Oil for frying

Method
1. Scrape the bitter gourd with a peeler.  Slit the same without breaking both the edges.  Marinate with salt and keep aside for 1 hour.  
2. Some people use the scraped part of the bittergourd after frying the same along with the filling.

 

 

3. Crush the peanuts.

4. In a kadai, pour oil. When it becomes hot, add the cumin seeds, then add the chopped onion, add required amount of salt and fry them.  
5. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for two minutes.  
6. Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafetida and sauté well.  You will get a nice paste like filling.  
7. Add the crushed peanut and switch off the gas.
8. Wash the bittergourd and pat with a cloth to remove the water from it. 
9. Fill the bittergourd with the filling and press it so that the excess filling will come out. Remove the excess filling and tie with thread.  

10. Deep fry them in oil.  Remove from oil, cut thread and remove it.  Garnish with the balance filling and chopped coriander leaves.
 
It tastes good with chappati, lapsi kitchdi or if you love eating just like that it is good. I also prefer with bread.

Beetroot Milkshake

              The summer is on and everybody wants to chill their tummy. Here is a wonderful and healthy beetroot milk shake.  It is said that this root will help in increasing your blood too. Why are you waiting, enjoy this wornderful milk shake.

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1 big (grated)
Milk - 300 ml
Sugar - 4 tsp
Cardamom Powder - a pinch
Whipped cream - (optional)
Ice cream (Optional)

Subja (Basil Seeds) - 1 tsp (soaked in water) *

* image attached below

Method
1. Cook the grated beetroot with 2 cups of water.  
2. When it is tender, remove from gas and allow to cool.
3. Blend the same in a mixer/blender nicely.  
4. Add the milk, sugar, cardomom powder, whip cream and blend again. 
5. Serve chilled  with or without ice cream by adding subja.

Here is an image of Basil Seeds (Tukmaria or Subja) before and after soaking in water.

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients
Beetroot (grated) - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cardamon Powder 
Melon seeds/musk melon seeds - for garnishing

Method
1. Pour ghee in kadai.  When it becomes hot,  add the grated beetroot  and saute for few minutes.  
2. Add the milk and sugar. Cook in medium flame  till the halwa leaves the sides of the kadai.  
3. Garnish with melon seeds. Serve hot or cold as you like.

Beetroot Chutney

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1 (medium)
Shallots (Sambhar Onion) - 3
Garlic - 2
Grated Coconut - 4 tblsp
Tamarind - marble sized
Salt - to taste

To roast and grind
Channa dal - 1 tblsp
Urad Dal - 1 tblsp
Corriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 5

For Seasoning
Oil - 1 tblsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 spring
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method
1. Wash, peel and cut the beetroot into cubes.
2. In one pan saute the shallots, garlic, tamarind, beetroot cubes and the grated coconut for 5-10 minutes. Switch off and let it cool.
3. In another pan, dry roast the ingredients under 'To roast and grind' till it turns golden brown. Cool it.
4. Take the roasted ingredients in a blender or mixie and powder it.
5. Next add the cooked beetroot- coconut mixture and required salt to this. Add little water and make a chutney. You may grind it coarsely or make a smooth paste as you like.
6. Transfer this to a serving dish.
7. Heat oil in a pan and do the seasoning. Add this right on top of the chutney.

Serving Suggestion
  - You can serve this chutney with idli, dosa, white rice ro chappatti.
  - You could also spread it on bread to make sandwiches.

Beetroot Rasam

Ingredients

• Beetroot - 1
• Toor Dal - 1/2 cup (Soak for half an hour)
• Garlic - 4-6 cloves
• Tamarind - Lemon sized soaked in water
• Rasam Powder - 1 tsp

For Tempering

• Oil/Ghee - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds -  1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Dry Red Chilly - 1

Method

1. Wash the beetroot and peel the skin. Cut it into cubes.
2. Cook the beetroot, garlic and the toor dal together with enough water till the dal is mashy. You could pressure cook for 2 whistles or cook it in the microwave.
3. Mash the dal and beets together with a masher or with the back of a spoon. You can also pulse it in a blender or mixie.
4. Heat oil or ghee in a kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilly and asafoetida.
5. Add the tamarind juice, mashed beetroot and dal, rasam powder and salt. Add water to bring to your desired consistency.
6. Bring it to a boil and switch off immediately. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves). Your beetroot rasam is ready to be Served with rice and papad.

Tips

- You can use home made or store bought rasam powder. If you do not have rasam powder, just add 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, 1/2 tsp of pepper powder and 1/8 tsp of turmeric powder.

Beet Leaves Poriyal

Beet Leaves Poriyal
(Beetroot Illa Thoran, Beetroot Leaves Vepudu)

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Ingredients

Beet Leaves - 1 bunch
Onion - 1/4 (chopped)
Garlic - 1 clove (chopped)
Grated Coconut - 2 tblsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Nutmeg Powder - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Dry red chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tsp
Chopped Beet Leaves

 

Method
1. Wash the leaves and chop the leaves finely.
2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dal and dry red chillies.
3. Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the leaves, nutmeg powder and salt and let it cook till the leaves are nicely cooked.Do not add any water.
5. Add fresh grated coconut, toss everything together and switch off. You could also make radish greens poriyal, turnip greens poriyal, collard greens poriyal and other greens poriyal in the same way.

Paruppu Usili

(Lentil Crumbled)

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            This is a simple authentic South Indian side dish that can be served with Rice, any curry and papad. Paruppu stands for lentil (dal) and usili stands for crumbled. Here a vegetable is cooked with crumbled lentil and the result is a delicious dish. The best part about the dish is that even picky eaters start enjoying vegetables. Different vegetables can be incorporated in the recipe like french beans(Beans paruppu usili), cluster beans, cabbage (cabbage paruppu usili), broccoli (broccoli paruppu usili), radish (mullangi paruppu usili), asparagus (asparagus paruppu usili), carrot (carrot paruppu usili), beetroot (beetroot paruppu usili), banana flower (vazhapoo paruppu usili) etc.
 
Ingredients
Chana dal(Kadalai paruppu) -1/4 cup soaked.
Red chillies-4 in nos.
Hing-1/4 spoon
Green Beans-1 1/2 cup chopped (You can also use any other vegetable)
Curry leaves-1 string
Mustard Seeds-1/4 spoon
Oil -2 tspn
Fennel seeds-1/4 spoon (optional)
Salt to taste 

Method
1. Heat the kadai with little oil and temper the mustard seeds and curry leaves. 
2. Add the chopped vegetable with little salt and sauté and let it cook covered on low heat. 
3. Meantime grind the soaked chana dal, chilli and hing together with out water. 
4. In a different pan add the remaining oil and fry this chana paste until it crumbles up. Alternatively, you can also pinch a small portion in the idli stand and steam it for 12-15 minutes. Then crumble it up when it cools down.
5. Add this fried mixture to the partially cooked vegetable and fry them both together for next 5 minutes. 
6. Yummy osili ready.

Tips
- Make sure not to overcook the veggies. 
- You can also use toor dal instaed of channa dal or a combination of both.

French Beans Poriyal

Beetroot Usili

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Beetroot Pachadi

Ingredients
Beetroot - 1 ( Medium sized)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Curd - 1/2 cup (beaten)
Salt - to taste 
Oil - 2 tblsp

To grind
Grated coconut - 3-4 tblsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos

For Seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1/4
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Shallots - 2
Dry red chilly - 1

Method
1. Wash, peel the beetroot and grate it.
2. Coarsely grind all the ingredients under 'To grind' and keep aside.
3. Take the grated beetroot in a pan, add required salt and cook for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the coarsely ground paste to the beetroot. Mix it and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from gas and let it cool.
6. Add the beaten curd and mix.
7. Finally heat oil in a small pan and pop the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the chopped shallots and red chilli. Fry till the shallots turn golden brown.
8. Pour this seasoning on top of the beetroot. Enjoy with white rice.

Karupatti Kaapi

(Chukku Coffee, Dry Ginger Tea)

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          This is a spicy hot drink traditionally made as a home cure for cold and sore throat. For some people it is more than a remedy, its a part of life. There are people who drink this on a regular basis.
 
Ingredients 
Dry ginger (Chukku) - 1/2" piece (ground or crushed)
Karupatti (Palm Sugar) - as needed for sweetness
Whole Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Coffee powder/Tea leaves -  1 tsp (optional)
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Basil leaves(Tulsi) - 4-5
Water - 1.5 cup

Method

1. Boil the water in a saucepan with karupatti (palm sugar), dry ginger, crushed peppercorns and cumin seeds. 
2. Add the coffee powder/ tea powder to this, if needed.
3. Let this boil for 4-5 minutes.
4. Finally add the basil leaves (tulsi) and switch off.
5. Serve it piping hot as a remedy for cold and throat infection.
 
Tips
   - If karupatti(palm sugar) does not give enough sweetness add little sugar.
   - Jaggery (Vellam) can be used instead of karupatti (palm sugar).

Herbal Juice

Herbal Juice - with Thulsi and Ajwain leaves

  A variety and tasty herbal juice adding tulsi leaves and ajwain leaves.  This is helpful for all ages especially in summer. It prevents dehydration.

IngredientsAjwain leaves - 5 or 6
Tulsi (Indian Basil Leaves) - 10 leaves (fresh)
Cumin (jeera) powder - 1/4 spoon
Amchur (Dry mango) powder - 1/2 spoon
Salt - to taste
Mint - 4 or 5 leaves

 

Method
1. Wash all the leaves and grind into fine paste.
2. Add jeera powder, amchur powder and salt with the paste.
3. These ingredients are enough to make one glass of juice.

Children like to have this juice with cold water.

Green Chutney

(Mint Chutney, Cilantro Chutney, Kothamalli Chutney, Pudhina Chutney)

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Ingredients
Mint leaves - 2 cups
Cilantro (Corriander Leaves) - 2 cups
Onion - 1/4
Lemon juice - 1 or 2 tblsp
Green Chillies - 10-12
Cumin seeds - 1 tblsp
Salt - to taste 

Method 
1. Combine all the ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a blender or mixie.
        (Do not use any water for grinding or use very little water. The moisture from the onions, cilantro and the lemon juice should be sufficient for grinding.)
2. Refrigerate or freeze and use as required. 

Variations
     - If you do not like the raw smell of onion in the chutney, just add 1/2 of a green bell pepper (capsicum) instead.    
     - If you want to make a thicker chutney, add a handful of roastes peanuts. But for chaats, make the chutney as such.