BEET ROOT AND CARROT CURRY/ PORIAL
Mother ruled out cooking beet root in her kitchen because of its colour. As her grand children grew up and they took a liking to the vegetable she slightly relaxed her rules and agreed to prepare only porial or curry using beet root. Henceforth beet root curry or porial became an oft prepared dish at home. But she still shuns it in koottu or pachadi.
My grand children like beet root porial when I add a handful of pea nuts to it. Here I have also added carrots to enhance the colour of the porial and the children enjoyed it more than ever. It is a very simple but healthy and nutritious dish which can be savoured as a side dish.
INGREDIENTS
Beetroots - 2
Carrots - 2
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Split black gram dal - 1 tsp
METHOD
1. Wash and pressure cook whole beet roots and carrots without adding water to the vegetables. The steam in the cooker is enough to cook the vegetables.
2. Cool the vegetables thoroughly and then peel as you would peel potatoes.
3. Chop them into small cubes and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
5. When the mustard seeds splutter add black gram dal and roast till golden in colour.
6. Add pea nuts and roast till they crackle.
7. Add chopped vegetables and salt, and keep stirring till the curry/porial becomes dry.
The sweet taste and the attractive colour of the vegetables, and the aroma of the seasoning is sure to attract one and all to the dining table.
