7 Ways To Use Beets You Would Never Have Thought Of

Beetroot or chukundar is a vegetable that people either love or really dislike. The ruby red colour really shines through every food we add it to. Now beetroot can be eaten raw or cooked making it an easy source of nutrition.  

Tip: Buy small and firm beetroots with a dark ruby colour. The vegetable should have a clean surface, bright leaves and an intact taproot. Avoid hairy taproots as they are indicative of the veggie being old and tough. 

Now if you are on the fence about adding beetroot to your family’s meal plan then let me tell you why you should. Health benefits of beetroot include

• Improve skin health
• Rich in Vitamin K, iron & calcium
• Good for the heart
• Can help lower blood pressure
• High in fibre
• Helps reduce inflammation
• Great for anaemia

So if you have beetroot lying in the fridge and don’t know what to do with it, we have a variety of super interesting recipes that everyone will like. From kulfi to detox juice, we’re sharing it all.

Beetroot Salad

Ingredients

• Cumin Seeds/Jeera
• Curry Leaves/Kari Patta
• Coriander Leaves/Dhania Patta
• Ginger Paste
• Green Chilli Paste 
• Boiled Beetroot
• Curd
• Oil
• Salt

Method

• Chop the beetroot into bite-sized pieces
• Heat oil in a tadka pan and add the jeera & kari patta. Wait for it to splutter
• Pour this tempering into the bowl of curd and mix well
• Add the fresh coriander, ginger paste, green chilli paste and the salt 
• Put the beetroot into a bowl 
• Top it with the curd dressing just enough to coat the pieces & give it a mix
• Garnish it with fresh coriander

Beetroot Kulfi (Makes 6 small kulfis)

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized (80 gms) Beetroot boiled, peeled and chopped
• 1 large, ripe Banana
• 3/4 Cup thick Yoghurt
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp fresh Lime Juice
• Honey to taste
• Pinch of ground Green Cardamom (elaichi)
• 1 Tbsp Rose Water (optional)

Method

• Blend all the ingredients together in a high-powered blender until completely smooth.
• Taste and adjust the sweetness, if needed.
• Spoon the mixture into kulfi moulds and freeze until set. 

Red Beet Roti

Image Source: https://www.spiceupthecurry.com

Method

• Wash, peel, dice and boil the beetroot in water for a few minutes till it softens.
• Strain the pieces, (keep the water aside in case it is required later to make the dough)
• Blend the beetroot pieces to make a puree.
• Add whole wheat atta, a pinch of salt and a little bit of oil to make a dough, just like you would for a regular chapatti.
• Use the beetroot water if you need more water content to bring your dough together.
• Roll it and cook it like you would a regular roti.
• Add some delicious ghee on top and serve it plain, with dal or any other vegetable!

Beetroot Bhelpuri

Ingredients

• 1 Large carrot
• 2 medium sized Beets
• 1 small or half a medium Onion
• Juice of 2 Limes
• Few pinches of Red Chilli Powder (optional)
• 4 cups Puffed Rice
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tsp neutral oil
• 2-3 Green Chillies (optional)
• Roasted peanuts (optional)
• Roasted Sesame seeds (optional)
• Bhujiya or Sev (optional)
• Pomegranate (optional)

Method

• Wash, peel and grate the carrot and beets into a medium sized bowl. Finely chop or grate the onions into the same bowl.
• Slit the green chillies and toss it in if using.
• Juice the two limes into the bowl and add salt. Toss the mixture together.
• Let it sit for 5 minutes, marinating in the salt and lime juice. This will make the onion a little less pungent.
• If your puffed rice has been sitting in the pantry for a while, lightly toast in a dry skillet to make it crisp. Set aside on a plate to cool.
• In a large bowl, add the puffed rice. Add in the oil and mix to coat it evenly.
• Now add in about 3 -4 tablespoon of the beet mixture to the puffed rice along with the beet juices and mix it well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Garnish it with peanuts, sesame seeds, sev or pomegranate. Serve immediately.
• You will have enough beet mixture to make this quantity two  – three times.

Beetroot Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 cup Tofu (crumbled)
• 1/3 cup Beetroot Puree  (cooked and pureed)
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar/Raw Sugar
• 1/2 cup Jowar Flour/Sorghum Flour
• 2 Tbsp Arrowroot Flour/Cornflour
• Pinch of Salt
• 3/4 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar/Lemon Juice
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil+more for greasing
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

• Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl
• Add tofu, vanilla, beet puree, coconut oil into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Mix this with the dry ingredients and gently combine. Add a splash of water to loosen the batter if you need to. Do not over mix the batter.
• Rest the batter until the waffle iron is heated.  Grease the waffle iron and drop the batter into the waffle iron till its 3/4th full. Your cooking time would depend on the equipment you’re using. Do not overcook the waffles as they can turn black, so keep an eye on them till you figure how long it takes for one batch to get cooked.

Serving suggestion: With fresh fruit and chocolate sauce or any nut butter.

Sweet Potato Beetroot Cutlets

Note: If you want, you can add a coating of egg and bread crumbs to keep the cutlet shape and form intact.

Carrot & Beetroot Detox Juice

Blended together this juice is a powerhouse of antioxidants, calcium, potassium and beta-carotene. Breakfast is a good time to drink this juice.

Image Source: https://foodal.com

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Beetroot (rinsed, peeled & chopped)
• 1 Medium Apple (peeled, cored and quartered)
• 1 in Fresh Ginger (skin removed)
• 1 Carrot –peeled
• Squeeze of lemon

Method

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth with a dash of lemon juice.
• Add some water if you don’t have a juicer and need your blender to start moving.
• Take a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the juice over it. Using a spoon o press the pulp down and squeeze all of the juice out.
• Discard pulp and pour your juice into a serving glass. Drink immediately or chill for a bit. Will keep it in the fridge for about 24 hours.