Serves - 4-6
Prep Time - 15 minutes | Cook Time - 20-30 minutes
Poriyal is a dry vegetable curry or a stir fry that is a staple in a Tamil meal, it usually has a base method and seasoning but different vegetables are used each day for variety. It can have up to two types of vegetables. Absolutely simple and nourishing, it's usually prepped and cooked in less than 20 minutes. It pairs so well with rice, dosa or bread. Sometimes, I also have it as a salad with some activated nuts on it.
With poriyal, I feel like the taste and experience vastly differs depending on how the vegetable is cut - it could be the same vegetable with the same recipe but the taste differs depending on if it's grated, diced or sliced…
Beetroot poriyal is one of my favourite ones and I like it diced in little cubes, but feel free to grate or julienne it. The way the beetroot is prepared will affect the cooking time.
2 large beetroots, finely diced
1 medium red onion , finely diced (optional)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 pinch asafoetida
1 sprig (12-14 leaves)
2 dried red chillies
1 cup fine desiccated coconut
salt, to taste
Steam the diced beetroot until they’re soft and you start to get an earthy aroma. Once, they're cooked, heat a cast iron frypan, add the coconut oil and wait until it's hot. Add the black mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add in the urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. Take care when adding the curry leaves as the oil can splatter from their moisture. Cook for 10 seconds.
Place in the diced onions and sauté until they are golden brown. Add the steamed beets and stir them in well, add salt to taste and cook it for 2 minutes with a lid on so the flavours can infuse and merge. Remove the lid and add the coconut, mix it through. Turn off the stove and place the lid on for another 2 minutes to further infuse.
Enjoy hot or warm as a side dish.
NOTE - The same method can be used with a variety of vegetables - carrot, cabbage, turnip, green beans, spinach, kale and so much more…
