Beetroot raita

 

A very simple raita and very colourful too. Mixing beetroot with curd is very eye-catching. I have a very vivid memory about the first time I saw this combo. I have a friend called Anitha. We studied together from 1st to 3rd std. Her grandma used to bring lunch box for her. We used to have lunch together. One day I noticed her eating beetroot poriyal with curd rice.  The curd rice turned into a beautiful pink colour and that scene is still in my mind. From that day onwards I started to love the combination of beetroot and curd rice. My mom taught me this dish very recently. As I love the curd and beetroot combo, I prepared this immeditaely. Definitely a tasty, healthy side-dish for pulaos. For young children this dish will be very attractive. You can scrap the beetroot, cook for 2 or 3 minutes and then mix with curd along with a few teaspoons of sugar. Sure they will ask for more :).

Beetroot has many health benefits. It is a rich source of betaine, a nutrient, which is important for cardiovascular health. Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce blood pressure thus reducing cardiovascular problems. So include lots of beetroot in your diet. Diabetic people should not include it often because of its high sugar content.

Ingredients :

Beetroot- 1 no 

Thick curd- a cup

Green chillies- 3 nos (finely minced)

Salt to taste

Method :

Cut the beetroot into bite sized pieces (depends on how you like, you can also scrap them). Then boil with 1/2 cup of water (you can also use it raw if you like). When all the water evaporates remove from fire and allow it to cool. When the beeroot cools down add them and minced green chillies to a cup of curd. Add enough salt and mix everything well. Beet root raita will be ready in a few minutes. Tastes very good with pulaos and very healthy too.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Work out with your imagination. Add a teaspoon of chat masala or a 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. How about minced coriander leaves? Whatever you like :). If your child like it sweet you can add sugar instead of green chillies and salt. Happy cooking !!!

Priya I tried making tomato rose and that is how I ended up with :)

Vegetable cutlet

Cutlets are very tasty appetizers. One rainy day I felt very bored sitting at home. Wanted to make myself busy and that is how these cutlets were created. I have watched my mom  make vegetable cutlets. So the entire preparation is not that difficult and the final product was excellent. The cutlet itself looked very appetizing in the end because of the mixture of different vegetables containing different colours. Vegetable cutlet is a  healthy appetizer for young children who dislike their veggies. We loved it and hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients :

Potato- 2 nos

Beetroot- 1 nos (1 small or half of a big one)

Peas- 2 handful

Beans- 1/2 cup

Cauliflower- some 10 florets

Carrot-  1 no (big one)

Green chillies- 6 nos

Garlic- 5 pods

Ginger- an inch piece

Coriander leaves- 1/4 of a bunch

Bread crumbs- 1 cup

Amchur powder ( dry mango powder)- 1 tspn

Garam masala- 1 tspn

Egg/ maida- 1 cup (used as a binder)

Onion- 1 no (minced into small pieces)

Oil- for deep frying

Some sauce which you like

Method :

First boil all the vegetables in a cooker with minimum amount of water. The vegetables should become soft enough to mash them completely. Allow it to cool. Grind together green chillies, garlic, ginger and coriander leaves into a coarse paste. Mix  half of the bread crumbs, amchur powder, garam masala powder, the ground green chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander paste and  enough salt with mashed vegetables and keep aside. The bread crumbs absorb excess moisture from the mashed vegetables. If the mixture is still on the watery side mix in more bread crumbs. After 30 minutes make flat patties with the mashed vegetable mixture as shown in the picture. Now before deep frying the patties you need a binding material. If you are a non-vegetarian you can use eggs. Egg whites are the best binders. If you are a vegetarian you can use maida mixed with water. Make a smooth, semi-solid paste of maida. Take the flattened vegetable mixture, dip it in beaten egg or in maida paste, apply bread crumbs on both sides and drop it in hot oil. Fry till they get a deep brown colour on both sides. Very tasty appetizer is ready to be served. Serve with raw onions and tomato sauce.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Take care not to end up with a watery mixture of mashed vegetables. Never use red chilli powder when making cutlets. Use green chillies. Serve with raw onions. Raw onions with cutlet is really awesome!!! The binding agent should completely cover the flattened vegetable mixture. Otherwise they break in oil and imbibe more oil. The oil for frying should become really hot before you drop in the vegetable mixture. Have a beautiful week end!!! and happy cooking!!!