Beetroot poriyal recipe aka beetroot palya is a south Indian delicacy which is frequently prepared in every south Indian house. It’s a mild, comforting, vegan and gluten-free beetroot stir fry where chopped or grated beetroots are tempered with mustard seeds, lentils, curry leaves and cooked with onion, garlic and coconut. It is a perfect side dish which is mostly served with Rice-Sambar or Rice-Rasam but can also be paired up with flatbreads like Rotis and Pooris.
Though beetroot poriyal is a popular south Indian beetroot curry in south India and nowadays in many parts of northern India too. All thanks to the internet which has globalised food recipes. But still many people are not aware of the term ’poriyal’. Let me explain this word to you.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Health Benefits of Beetroot
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Beetroot Poriyal (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Poriyal?
Poriyal is a Tamil word which is used for fried or sautéed vegetables. Normally, the vegetables are prepared without adding any water. Poriyal can be prepared with different ranges of vegetables like Beetroot, Cabbage, Beans etc. In poriyal preparations, no ground spices are used, and shredded coconut is used for flavoring. In the Kannada language, it is known as palya.
Honestly, Beetroot is one of the backbencher vegetables which get ignored most of the time, especially because of its strong earthy flavour. For every mom, it is a huge challenge to make their kids eat beetroot without any fuss.
When I was a kid, I was not an exception. I did all possible things to skip beetroot from my meal. For that reason, my mom used to go innovative with this vegetable and put all possible efforts to make me eat this healthy vegetable. Now, after becoming a Mom, I have realised why moms get desperate to make their kids eat healthy vegetables.
Beetroot is one of the most versatile vegetables which is used to prepare different ranges of food like soup, salad, curries, fries, salad, flatbreads, desserts, oven-baked items and many more. I have prepared multiple dishes with this healthy vegetable for which I got a green flag from my family and friends. This Beetroot poriyal recipe is one of them.
During my childhood, my dad used to bring beetroots during winter because beetroot was only available during the winter season then. But nowadays, it is available almost throughout the year which is a great advantage for everyone to take advantage of the healthy root vegetable.
When I was in Bengaluru, I started exploring south Indian food in different restaurants. Gradually, south Indian recipes for dinner have become my weakness and I started falling for them. One day, one of my colleagues shared beetroot poriyal with me from her lunch box and I just loved the flavor of the dish. I asked her about the recipe and got to know more about it.
Then I decided to try something off-bit and prepare the beetroot palya recipe at home. After preparing the poriyal recipe, I was really very happy with the taste, texture and flavor of the dish. When I served the dish to my family, they complimented my cooking a lot.
Now, this beetroot poriyal recipe has become a part of our busy life. It is a very quick and easy recipe which requires minimal ingredients to get prepared. All the ingredients required for the recipe are easily available in any Indian kitchen pantry. The difficulty level of cooking this dish is below moderate. Sometimes, wonderful dishes are prepared using simple methods and minimal spices. Poriyal recipes are one of the best examples of that.
Ingredients for beetroot poriyal
Beetroot: The primary ingredient of the recipe. I have cut the beetroots into small cubes for the recipe.
Coconut: Another very important ingredient of the recipe which provides taste and flavor to the dish.
Onion & garlic: Both ingredients are used to enhance the taste and flavor of the dish.
Green chillies: Green chillies give flavor and heaty touch to the curry.
Whole spices & lentils: I have used mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and hing for the tempering of the dish. All the spices and lentils provide flavor to the dish.
Salt: The most necessary component which adds basic taste to the curry.
Oil: I have used olive oil for the recipe, but you can use any edible oil instead of it.
Water: Water is added to slowly cook the beetroots till tender or else the poriyal may stick to the bottom of the pan during the time of cooking.
Beetroot poriyal with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the Instructions section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to prepare a perfect non-mushy poriyal recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the key ingredient – Beetroot.
Health benefits of Beetroot
- Beetroots are an excellent source of nutrients. They are very good sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, potassium etc.
- Beetroots are a powerhouse of folic acid which is an important component to resist the birth defects of a child.
- They contain iron and reduce many health issues like anaemia.
- Beetroots are low in calories and fat which is perfect for a weight loss journey.
- Beetroots are high in fibre which improves our digestion.
- It contains high concentration of nitrates which helps in reducing blood pressure levels.
- They are a good source of antioxidants.
- Beetroots help to increase our white blood cell count too.
In short, Beetroots are a powerhouse of healthy content. Regular consumption of it can make our life healthier and happier.
Tips to prepare perfect Beetroot Poriyal
- Always cut the beetroots into small cubes for better texture. Don’t grate them or else they will become mushy.
- In this recipe, whole spices, lentils, hing and coconut flavor up the curry. Don’t skip them.
- You can adjust the amount of chilli according to your own preference.
How to make beetroot poriyal?
To prepare the Beetroot poriyal recipe, first, peel the beetroots and chop them into small pieces.
Then put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add oil to the pan and once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them crackle. After this, add chana dal, urad dal for tempering and fry them till the lentils become pinkish in colour. Now, add green chillies, curry leaves into the pan and stir them for 10-20 seconds. Add hing aka asafoetida and give a quick stir.
Then add chopped onions into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes. After this, add chopped garlic to the pan and mix it. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
Add chopped beetroots into the pan and mix it well. Add salt and give a nice stir. Add water and cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for around 20 minutes until the beetroots get soft and nicely cooked. As I already mentioned, beetroot takes time to get cooked.
At the final stage, add freshly grated coconut and mix it nicely. Cook it on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes and stir frequently. Switch off the flame and your beetroot poriyal is ready to serve.
Many south Indian recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Cabbage Poriyal
Brinjal chutney
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250ml
- 500 grams Beetroot, peeled and chopped
- 1 small Onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
- 1-2 green Chillies, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup grated Coconut
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1 teaspoon Chana dal
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Hing aka asafetida
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Oil for cooking
- ¼ cup water
Instructions:
- Peel 500 grams of beetroots and chop them into small pieces. Keep it aside. Chop 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and keep them separately on a plate.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and wait until it’s hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Add 1 teaspoon chana dal, 1 teaspoon urad dal for tempering and fry them till the lentils become pinkish in colour.
- Add 1-2 green chillies, curry leaves into the pan and stir them for 10-20 seconds.
- Add ¼ teaspoon hing aka asafoetida and give a quick stir.
- Add chopped onions to the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic into the pan and mix it. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- Add chopped beetroots into the pan and mix it well.
- Add salt and give a nice stir.
- Add ¼ cup water into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for around 18-20 minutes until the beetroots get soft and nicely cooked. Do check and stir in between. If the water dried up you can add a little bit of water and continue cooking until the beetroots get soft.
Note: If the beetroots get soft and water is there in the pan then take off the lid and turn the flame high to evaporate excess moisture. - At the final stage, add ¼ cup of freshly grated coconut and mix it nicely. Cook it on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes and stir frequently.
- Switch off the flame and your beetroot poriyal is ready to serve.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the beetroot poriyal recipe into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the beetroot stir fry with rasam-rice or sambar-rice and even with flat bread like roti or poori and enjoy the south Indian delicacy.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250ml
- 500 grams Beetroot, peeled and chopped
- 1 small Onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
- 1-2 green Chillies, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup grated Coconut
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1 teaspoon Chana dal
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Hing aka asafetida
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Oil for cooking
¼ cup water
Instructions
- Peel 500 grams of beetroots and chop them into small pieces. Keep it aside. Chop 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and keep them separately on a plate.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and wait until it's hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Add 1 teaspoon chana dal, 1 teaspoon urad dal for tempering and fry them till the lentils become pinkish in colour.
- Add 1-2 green chillies, curry leaves into the pan and stir them for 10-20 seconds.
- Add ¼ teaspoon hing aka asafoetida and give a quick stir.
- Add chopped onions to the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic into the pan and mix it. Cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- Add chopped beetroots into the pan and mix it well.
- Add salt and give a nice stir.
- Add ¼ cup water into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for around 18-20 minutes until the beetroots get soft and nicely cooked. Do check and stir in between. If the water dried up you can add a little bit of water and continue cooking until the beetroots get soft. Note: If the beetroots get soft and water is there in the pan then take off the lid and turn the flame high to evaporate excess moisture.
- At the final stage, add ¼ cup of freshly grated coconut and mix it nicely. Cook it on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes and stir frequently.
- Switch off the flame and your beetroot poriyal is ready to serve.
