Beetroot Rice Recipe – Beetroot Pulao

The Beetroot Rice Recipe is a super simple, quick to cook and delicious recipe that can go into your lunch box or the kids. Beetroot is one for those few vegetables which give the rice a nutty flavour and subtle sweetness.  Cooked rice, Cumin seeds (Jeera), Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu), Curry leaves, Ginger, Pearl onions (Sambar Onions), Tomatoes, Beetroot, Sambar Powder, Cardamom Powder (Elaichi), Turmeric powder (Haldi), Salt, Oil, Ghee, Coriander (Dhania) Leaves   2 cups Cooked rice , with grainy texture 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 1 sprig Curry leaves , finely chopped 1 inch Ginger , grated 1 cup Pearl onions (Sambar Onions) , finely chopped 2 Tomatoes , finely chopped 2 Beetroot , finely chopped or grated 1 teaspoon Sambar Powder 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) Salt , to taste Oil , rquired for cooking 1 tablespoon Ghee , for flavour 3 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , chopped     10   30     To begin making the Beetroot Rice Recipe, firstly we need cooked rice ready with a grainy texture. Make sure the rice is cooled down before you add it to the beetroot masala.You can also use leftover rice to make this dish. The next step is to get all the ingredients ready.Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok or heavy bottomed pan; add in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. Once they crackle, add in the curry leaves,  ginger and onions. Saute the onions until they become tender. Next add in the tomatoes, the turmeric powder, the sambar powder and give it a stir. Let it cook for about a minute or two.Next add in the grated beetroot, salt and stir to combine well.At this stage, turn the heat to low, cover the pan. Simmer the beetroot for about 4 to 5 minutes until it softens and cooks. Grated beets tend to get cooked faster then chopped beets.Although if your beets are soft and juicy when you cut them, they will get cooked fast too. Give it a taste to see if you like the cooked texture, else cook it for a little more so it gets softer.Once the beetroot is cooked, add the cardamom powder, cooked rice and stir to combine. Add in the ghee and the chopped coriander leaves.Check the salt and spice levels at this stage and adjust to suit your taste.Once all the ingredients are combined well, turn off the heat and the Beetroot Rice will be ready to be served.Serve Beetroot Rice along with Lauki Raita, Burani Raita or any other raita of your choice and a roasted Papad for a weekday lunch or dinner.