Life is all about giving back. As a friend of mine will tell you it is all about give and take. Now we all know this but I think we forget in the whole hum drum of our daily lives. She will also tell you that nothing that you well and truly love, will come easy. The road to love is never easy. Again we know this as a cheesy line in some movie or the other or as a bumper sticker we may have seen on the back of a car. I, some years ago would have been the first to laugh off such silliness..
As I grow older, I realise how true these words are. When you truly love something, perseverance and sacrifice will go hand in hand. You don’t and will never need to force it. It will be spontaneous. And when you find that love in whichever form or shape you will be grateful for it. As I am to have found my love for food and photography. I am so grateful to have been lifted out of the pit I was in, to again be part of a wonderful community and get to do what I love every single day.
I am not American and have never celebrated Thanksgiving but I love what it stands for. To give thanks. For whatever it is that we are blessed with. To stop and think and be grateful.
I love beetroot. We used to get it for salad almost everyday as kids. When I think of beetroot I think of mom. It has the ability to transport me back in memories as does music. That’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. This dish is so full of flavour and will look wonderful if you want to add color and spice to your thanksgiving table. The perfect side dish.
- For the Roasted Beetroot
- 1 kilo beets, peeled and cut into squares
- ½ tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 red onion, cut into quarters
- 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust quantity according to how hot you like it)
- 3-4 cloves, garlic (this we will use for the sauce)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- For the Yoghurt Sauce
- 4 tbsps yoghurt
- 1 inch ginger, cut into thin strips
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- roasted garlic
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp oil
- handful cilantro leaves, chopped fine + for decoration
- To make the roasted beets, preheat oven to 375°F/175°C. Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the beetroot, onions and garlic and slit chillies on the baking tray and toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, then sprinkle with mustard seeds, fennel and sesame seeds and roast until the beets are tender, around 15 minutes more.
- Take out of the oven and remove the garlic and crush to make into smooth paste.
- To make the yoghurt sauce, add the crushed roasted garlic to the yoghurt. Mix in the cilantro leaves. Season with salt and keep aside.
- In a wok, heat the oil and fry the ginger strips and the chilli. Once slightly brown add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to pop quickly add it to the yoghurt mix and stir to mix.
- Toss the beetroot with the yoghurt sauce.
- Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and some additional cilantro leaves.
Pang {circahappy} says
This beet dish looks so delicious & beautiful, Rakhee. I am not crazy about beet, but your dish could be a nice push I need to try it. Loveeeeee
Btw, I am thankful for this blogging community as well. I would not have found your wonderful blog without it 🙂
Rakhee says
Oh do try it Pang. Its always such a great feeling to convert someone with something you make! btw i love your blog too… <3
Ritu Ahuja says
This roasted beetroot looks awesome. Great combination with raita. Love it 🙂
Rakhee says
Thanks Ritu!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I think this recipe will actually make me enjoy beets! There are some ingredients that really need laser focus in a dish to make them great or liked. I think you hit the nail on the head. 🙂 Can’t wait to recreate this!
Rakhee says
Haha! I love converting people to like an ingredient they didn’t before! Maybe because I am such a difficult convert myself. 🙂
Thank you so much for your compliments. It’s great that you dropped by and I sure hope you do recreate this recipe. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Anne says
This looks like such a wonderful combination -and that color! Omg…
Rakhee says
Thanks Anne! It was indeed a combination that I had never tried before but will definitely be repeating! In fact my next post may do just that! 🙂
Simone says
I’m so happy i got to meet you on Saturday Rakhee! I totally love your work and this looks like a pretty awesome recipe too! 🙂
Rakhee says
I had such a great time Saturday Simone! And I really really loved meeting you. You were so friendly and helpful. I really appreciate that, so thank you so much for making me feel at ease!
Thank you so much for your compliments. Means one helluva lot. <3
Katie @ 24 Carrot Life says
Your photos are gorgeous! And better yet, your food looks amazing! I love beets- pinning this for later!