Fried Beetroots Rathu Ala Badthum

Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables for its versatility, rustic quality, and sweet fl avour. Th is vegetable adds colour, substance, and nutrition to a meal, and tastes wonderful in a variety of curries and dishes. Th is particular recipe has a sweet, savoury, and peppery taste with a bit of sour. It pairs well with sour fi sh curry (page 129) or chicken curry (page 111), mung bean curry (page 104), and a kale mallum (page 150). • If banana peppers are not available or in season, an Anaheim or a Cubanelle pepper is a good substitute.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Peel the beets, trim the stems and tips, and thinly slice of f any dark patches. Cut them into thick wedges and place the pieces in a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.

Step 2

In a wide frying pan, melt the butter in the oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and curry leaves for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir to release fl avours for a couple of minutes.

Step 3

Add the beet mixture to the pan, stir to combine, cover, and turn the heat down to low for 5 minutes. Add the banana pepper, stir to combine, and let fry uncovered for another few minutes. Squeeze the lime over the beets and mix in the juice.

Step 4

Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Step 5

Serves 4–6 1 lb small red beetroots, boiled and cooled 2 Tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste 1 / 2 tsp ground black pepper 1 Tbsp butter or ghee 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 / 2 cup yellow onion, cut in thick slices 10 curry leaves, ripped into small pieces 1 banana pepper, thickly sliced on the diagonal 1 small lime wedge (yielding about 1 tsp juice) Try using either canned whole beets or ready-to-eat (cooked, peeled) packaged whole baby beets.

Step 6

Th ese come in varying weights so only use what you need for this recipe. If I’m boiling raw beets, I often make a few extra for later use in salads or ribbon sandwiches (page 163).