Beetroot Thogayal

Category: Lunch
Preparation Time: 5 mins    
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Servings: 3-4 servings

Spicy Beetroot Thogayal

Thogayal is a kind of chutney but it will be thicker and coarsely ground than chutney. Thogayal can be mixed with rice along with a tsp of sesame oil  or can have as a side dish for Morkuzhambu.

Beetroot Thogayal

This beetroot thogayal goes well with hot rice but we can also have it with Idli, dosa or Chapathi.

Thogayal can be made with or without coconut; here I have not used coconut. But if we prefer, we can add little coconut to it. If we are adding coconut, we need to finish off on the same day, we cant store it and use later. Without coconut, we can store it in refrigerator for 1-2 days but mostly we will finish off the same day :) 

Beetroot Thogayal without Tempering

Tempering is completely optional, It tastes good even without it :)

Ingredients:

• Beetroot -  1 big sized, grated
• Sesame oil- 1 Tbsp, divided
• Whole Urad dhal- 3 Tbsp
• Red chillies- 3-4 (Adjust as per taste)
• Black Pepper- 1 tsp
• Tamarind - small gooseberry sized (adjust as per taste)
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Salt - to taste

Optional Tempering:

• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Split Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

• Wash, peel and grate the beetroot

• Heat 1/2 Tbsp of oil in a pan, add Urad Dhal  and Red chillies; fry in the medium-low flame for 2-3 mins

• Then add the black pepper, tamarind and asafoetida and fry well till the dhal turns golden brown

• Then transfer them onto a plate/ bowl

• In the same pan,  add the remaining oil and add the grated beetroot along with required salt; Saute well in medium flame until it gets cooked

• Once done, remove it and keep aside. Allow all the sauted items to cool down 
• Grind them to a coarse mixture (Add 1-2 tsp of water only if required, I didn't add any water)

• Transfer to a container and serve with hot rice

• If you prefer, prepare the tempering and add it to the thogayal