BEETROOT RICE
Beetroot Rice is a simple, protein rich, slightly spicy, a bit sweetish rice dish. Customize it to your liking by adding veggies of your choice. Also a great recipe to use up leftover cooked rice. What I like about this recipe is that it is not only full of flavours but it's so colourful. Enjoy it as a part of your thali meal, tastes absolutely delish with hot kadhi. Or have it as a meal on its own with some papad, fryums and yogurt.
Ingredients
- 3 cup cooked plain rice
- 1 cup onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup beetroot cooked and grated
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ghee optional
- ¼ cup cashew nuts cut into halves or split
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 4 whole cardamoms
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala or biryani masala
- 8-10 fresh mint leaves
- 100 g paneer or tofu (approx. 1 cup) cut into small cubes
- 1 cup sweet corn cooked
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Pan fry the paneer or tofu cubes till they become light golden brown in colour.
- Remember to turn the cubes to brown them evenly.
- Remove the paneer or tofu from the pan.
- Add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee.
- When the oil becomes hot, add bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and cloves.
- Add cumin seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to sizzle add the asafoetida.
- Immediately add sliced onions and stir fry over medium heat till it begins to turn light brownish in colour.
- Add garlic, ginger and chilli paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the cashew nuts and stir fry for 30 seconds or so.
- Then add the mint leaves. Mix well.
- Add the grated beetroot.
- Add salt and garam masala. Mix well.
- Add the cooked sweet corn. Mix well. Allow the mixture to become hot.
- Add the cooked rice and pan fried paneer or tofu.
- Mix gently. Lower the heat and allow the rice to become hot.
- Stir occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Serve beetroot rice with papad, fryum, kadhi, raita or plain yogurt.
Notes
- Adjust the spices according to your taste.
- Add almonds if you don't have any cashew nuts.
- Can make the beetroot rice a day ahead and store in the fridge. Next day before serving heat it up in a pan. Perfect option for parties.
- Add any vegetables of your choice.
- For vegan version use tofu and omit ghee. Replace it with oil.
- For a gluten free version omit asafoetida.