Beetroot Rasam

I’ve recently started harvesting my latest crop of beetroot.  Partially because its ready and partially to make more room for my purple cabbages which are getting really quite large….. My dad also grows beetroot, and he reckons his current batch is about to bolt.  As a result I have been cooking a fair bit of beetroot.  Of all the dishes I have made with beetroot recently this Beetroot Rasam would have to be my favourite.  It is quite a sweet soup, spicy but sweet.  It goes well with other vegetable curries and rice.   This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Chandra Padmanabhan from her book Southern Spice.  If you enjoy South Indian vegetarian cooking I would highly recommend either this or her previous book Dakshin.

Beetroot Rasam

• 1 medium beetroot – cooked, peeled & mashed.
• 2 tsp tamarind puree & 1.5 cups water (or a lime sized ball of tamarind soaked in 1.5 cups of water)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (or jaggery if you have it)
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds – ground
• 1/2 tsp asofeotida powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbspn dessicated coconut soaked in 1 tbspn hot water
• Coriander leaves

Tempering

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• one chilli sliced in half
• 10 curry leaves

Heat the first lot of oil in a saucepan, add ground spices (coriander, cumin, fenugreek, asofeotida & chilli powder).  Add beetroot, sugar, tamarind & water and coconut.  Season with salt and cook for about 5-10 minutes (the beetroot should disintegrated into the soup).  In a small pan heat the oil for the tempered spices, when hot add spices & leaves.  When the mustard seeds begin to pop tip everything into the soup.  Garnish with coriander & serve with other vegetables & rice.

As mentioned previously this makes quite a sweet soup.  You may want to add less sugar or more tamarind to taste.

I’m sharing this recipe on Garden To Table over at Greenish Thumb – take a look at what else people are cooking from their gardens this week.