Beets Thoran (Warm Beet Slaw With Coconut)

Beets and their greens are delicious as well as nutritious. They are packed full of minerals and cancer-fighting pigments. Beets are such showy veggies with their wonderful color! I like to include them in our meals as often as I can. Here is one pretty simple but delicious way to eat them. Enjoy Beets Thoran as a side dish with any meal!

The mustard seeds and the split legumes in the thalippu/tadka add a delicious toasty flavor and a mild nutty crunch to the thoran in addition to giving the dish a protein boost even though it is a small one; every little bit ultimately contributes to the total nutrient count of the whole meal!

Ingredients:

1 small bunch Beets with leaves
Salt to taste
1 small dry red chili
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 Tbsp grated coconut, fresh or frozen (or use dry, unsweetened)

Thalippu/Tadka:
1 or 2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Brown Mustard seeds
1 or 2 Tbsp Urad dal
1 dry hot Red Chili
1 sprig fresh Curry Leaves

Method:

Wash the beets and their leaves well; drain. Cut off the leaves with their stems.

Chop the stems finely and chop the leaves coarsely. Lightly peel the beets if they are big; if small peeling is not necessary. Chop finely or shred the beets.

In a skillet or a wok heat oil and prepare thalippu with the seeds, dal, etc.

When the dal turns pinkish, add the curry leaves, chopped beets, and stems and leaves.

Stir in the salt and cook covered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and scorching.

While the beets are cooking, coarsely grind the cumin seeds, red chili, and coconut together.

When the beets are tender, add the coconut mixture to the beets and cook until heated through.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with rice or roti, any dal, Sambar/Rasam or curries and a bowl of plain yogurt.