We were looking for a new way to incorporate Beets into our repertoire, and we decided to go out on a limb and try Indian flavours. We weren’t entirely sure how the earthy sweetness of the beets would pair with some of the vibrant spices of Indian cuisine, but they really came together nicely…especially with the coconut milk to serve as the intermediary to comingle the two. As an added bonus, we cleaned our Beet Greens, sliced them into ribbons, and added them too!
While we opted to serve this as a vegetarian meal by using chickpeas, we think paneer, chicken breast, mutton, or goat would be great with this sauce! We also suggest whipping up a batch of Homemade Naan and/or Baked Vegetable Samosas as a side!
Time: 60 Minutes (a lot of which is beet boiling time)
Ingredients:
- Beets (we used 3 medium beets for 3 servings)
- 1 Can Coconut Milk
- 3 Oz Tomato Paste
- Chickpeas
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Garam Masala
- Optional: Beet Greens
Method:
- Slice the tops and bottoms off your beets, place them in a pot. Fill with water, and boil until soft enough to pierce with a fork. Then, remove and place in a bowl to cool.
- If using beet greens, fill a large bowl with cold water, and place your beet greens in so any sand or dirt can fall to the bottom of the container (and thus off your greens).
- As your beets cook, dice your onion, and peel your garlic and ginger.
- As your beets cool, melt some butter in a large pan with high sides, and add your onion.
- Stir in your spices, and use a lemon zester to grate your garlic and ginger in as well.
- Sautee to really unleash the aromatics.
- As your onions cook, peel your beets (use vinyl kitchen gloves to prevent hand stains), and puree them in a Ninja/Food Processor/Blender with your coconut milk.
- When your onions become opaque, pour your chickpeas to the pan, and slice your beet greens (if using) into ribbons, and add them as well.
- After a few more minutes stir in your tomato paste, and allow to cook for another minute.
- Pour in your beet/coconut milk puree, and bring to a simmer so all the flavours can get to know each other.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
