It is really challenging to prepare piquant poriyal using mildly sweet earthy-flavored beetroots. I tried various beetroot poriyal recipes by adding different ingredients to mask the sweet flavor and make it more palatable. Incidentally, I found that we can add a burst of flavor by sauteing beetroot along with garlic in coconut oil and spicing it up by adding pepper. I have also added nicely fluffed up yellow lentils along with deep red beetroot chunks for adding beautiful color and delicious texture.

Weight watchers may take this delicious beetroot poriyal as a mid-morning salad. We can also serve this for lunch with rice and sambar, rasam, or any kuzhambu except mor-kuzhambu.

Beetroot health benefits:
Although beetroot has innumerable health benefits, it is particularly beneficial to pregnant women for its rich sources of iron & folate. I have compared below the nutrients of beetroot with dates being one of the rich sources of iron & broccoli as a good source of folate:

Beetroot poriyal recipe:

Time taken: 30 min.
Yields: 1½ cups (300 ml)
Ingredients:
- Beetroot – 2 Nos.
- Greengram (paasi paruppu) – 1/8 cup
- Salt – ½ tsp
For tempering:
- Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
- Garlic pods – 15 Nos.
For spice mix:
- Coconut pieces – 5 Nos. (each 1″)
- Peppercorns – ½ tsp
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp (optional)

Mise en place:
- Cook lentils uncovered until soft and firm but not mushy for about 10 min.
- Crush garlic pods using pestle and keep aside.
- Grind coconut & pepper coarsely without adding water.

- Wash beetroots, peel their skins and dice them as shown below.

How to make beetroot poriyal:
- Heat a pressure cooker with coconut oil in medium flame.
- Add mustard seeds into the cooker.
- When they begin to crackle, add crushed garlic and saute for few seconds.
- Add diced beetroot, salt & water (1 tbsp) and then close the pressure cooker.
- Now reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 min.
- Add about one-half of cooked lentils & coconut-pepper mixture immediately after the pressure is released.
- Mix together and close the cooker for 2-3 minutes to prevent the heat escape. (No need to turn on the heat.)
- Garnish with remaining lentils & grated coconut before serving.

Tips & Tweaks:
- If we pressure cook lentils along with beetroot then we get the red tinged dal, so I have cooked them separately.
- Crushed garlic is more flavorful than finely chopped garlic, so I don’t prefer to chop them.
- You may use red chillies along with garlic and garnish with coconut (without pepper) as below:

- I prefer to use coconut oil & coconut meat in here as the beetroot & coconut pair works wonder.

- We can follow the same poriyal recipe using other vegetables that are mildly sweet like carrot, kothavarangai (cluster beans), vaazhakai (raw banana), avarakkai (broad beans), cabbage, chenai kizhangu (elephant’s foot yam), etc.

lovely pictures with yummy spread
Thank you.
I boil beets and eat them often. This sounds like a great way to spice them up.
Yes, I do find the combo of beetroots, pepper & garlic more delicious. Thank you!
This is a interesting recipe!!
lovely picture, Megala.
Thanks Pranitha. Sorry for the late reply, just now retrieved these from spam folder.
? no worries, my dear!
I agree that pepper goes super well with beetroot. Minus the garlic, my method in this too is the same.
Yes, garlic adds a lovely texture & flavor in here, hope you would like it.
Sure will tweak it and will let you know how it turned out
This is a good recipe. Different from the one I shared few weeks back. Will try this too
Yes, I do remember that you wanted to check my version too, and I guess you would like it. 🙂 Thank you.
Hello Megala , please guide me how to keep our site for blogger awards, what to do to get nominee.?
I liked your site very much.
Thanks a lot.
Very applaudable work?
Thanks a ton!
Thank you for your informative article, I have been doing research on this subject, and for three days I keep entering sites that are supposed to have what I am searching for, only to be discouraged with the lack of what I needed. Thank you again.
Easy to make it as a side dish.
yes, thank you.
Such a nutritious, healthy and flavorful Poriyal. Will love to try it. Awesome share !!
Thank you.
I love beets! This looks so nutricious and colorful! Beautiful!
Thank you.
Will try for sure !
Thank you.
I like the bright red color of poriyal, looks amazing.
Thanks ! 🙂
The poriyal looks so good! beautiful color and the ingredients are flavorful!
Thanks, Nisha. 🙂
Yeh . Sure.
Wow this looks so colorful and nutritious as well. I have no idea how it’s taste … but will try it once. ?
Oh, please let me know how it turned out for you. Thanks a ton for all your likes. 🙂
I will try this with avarakkai. The Beetroot looks lovely too.
Yes, they both taste delicious too! Thank you.
Looks delicious!
Thanks, and thanks for stopping by.
Absolutely no problem! Nice blog 🙂
I have tried it today and loved it 🙂 super delicious
Wow ! That sounds great, thank you so much.
This looks so delicious.
Thanks.
Awesome ?
Thanks.
never tried this kind…will try this…nice share
I’m sure you will like it. Thank you.
Love how bright it looks~ Great one!
Thank you.
Yep, beetroot must be included in our meals. Healthy and nice.
Thanks !
Yummylicious!
Thanks. 🙂
I love the burst of colours and flavours of this dish. Well presented Megala ?
Thank you.
I love beetroot. But it hasn’t always been that way. I remember when at the age of 7 or 8, the veg. man told me he had a present for me. He hid his hands behind his back. The excitement was great. And then he gave me – 2 uncooked beetroots! What a let down.
Yes, most of us had some vegetable phobia during childhood. Although those veggies still taste the same, our palates have developed over the period and also we learned to appreciate the goodness of such vegetables.
I’m glad this post evokes your childhood memory with beetroots. Thank you so much.
Goodness loaded ✌✌ and the colour ✌✌
Thanks, Jyo.
Such a healthy and delicious poriyal recipe ! Lovely share Megala ?
Thank you.
Looks wonderful Megala!
Thank you.
This looks delicious, Megala; and so healthy, too… 🙂
xoxoxo
Yes, indeed. Thank you so much.
I love beets and this dish is so colorful and so many wonderful flavors!
Thank you.
I love to have it with piping hot rice and desi ghee.. ??
Yes, it sounds delicious. Thank you.
Yummy!!
Thanks.
More or less the same method that we employ 🙂
Its yummy….!
Yes, it is. Thank you.
Wow, looks yummylicious!?
Thanks.
Soulfood!!!
Nice comment! 🙂 Thanks.
Awesome presentation of this delightful recipe will give it a try. Thanks for the share, Megala
Most welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
Welcome Megala