Simple beetroot curry made with basic Indian spices, curry leaves and coconut. This easy to make sabzi goes so well as a side in an Indian meal with rice or roti. It is aromatic, flavorful and delicious.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 6 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 21 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups beetroot (cubed small or grated (2 medium size))
  • ¼ cup raw coconut ((or unsweetened shredded coconut))
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric ((haldi))
  • ¼ teaspoon salt ((or as needed))
  • 1½ tablespoon ghee (or oil)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ((jeera))
  • 1 sprig curry leaves ((pat dry))
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing (optional))
  • 2 green chili (chopped or slit)
  • 1 dried red chili (broken - optional)
  • 2 garlic (cloves or ¾ inch ginger (crushed or fine chopped))
  • 1 teaspoon skinned black gram ((urad dal, optional))
  • 1 teaspoon bengal gram ((chana dal, optional))

Method

How to make Beetroot Curry

  1. Wash and peel beetroots. Fine chop (using a chopper) or grate them (using a food processor) using a large hole grater.
  2. On a medium flame, heat oil in a pan.
  3. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and dal (optional). Soon the seeds will splutter, keep stirring and fry until the dal turns golden.
  4. Next add crushed garlic, green chili, red chilli, curry leaves and hing. Saute till the garlic turns aromatic.
  5. Add the grated beetroots and turmeric. Saute for 2 minutes.
  6. Cook covered on a low flame until soft and tender. It just takes few minutes. If you use chopped beetroot, you may need to splash some water if they don't cook.
  7. When the beetroot is cooked to your liking, stir in the salt and coconut. If you want you may also add 1 to 2 teaspoon of idli podi or flaxseed podi. Taste test and add more salt. Squeeze lemon juice if you want before serving.
  8. Beetroot curry is ready to serve with rice or roti.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.