A Beetroot curry recipe you can make with minimum pantry ingredients that still taste good.

A vegetarian and vegan Sri Lankan Beetroot curry.

This beetroot curry is also known as “beetroot thel dala”in Sinhalese(cooked in oil or stir-fried in oil).

Cooking this beet curry is not only healthy but you can pair it with almost any type of curry.

If you have picky eaters then you should definitely try making this beetroot curry for them.

They are full of vitamins and nutrients and help to boost your immune system in a natural way. 

With a variety of health benefits, a beetroot curry is a must-try for anyone who’s been eating their beets in salads so far.

Type of beets to use for this beetroot curry.

When I wrote this Sri Lankan beetroot recipe, I didn’t realize that there were many varieties of beets in the market.

I have only cooked with the type of beetroot which is dark in colour red or purple in colour.

So if you are wondering what type of beets to use for this beet recipe, choose the large variety that tends to be purple or dark red in colour.
Here is a post on types of beetroot that can be found as a reference.

What to serve with beetroot curry.

• You can try the beet curry with the following Sri Lankan menus.
  • Sri Lankan menu 1 
  • Sri Lankan menu 2
  • Sri Lankan menu 3
  • Sri lankan menu 4
  • Sri lankan menu 5

• Other vegetarian, vegan curry dishes that pair well with beetroot curry.
• Pumpkin Curry(Sri Lankan, vegetarian)
• potato korma(aloo kurma).
• sweet potato curry(Sri Lankan, bathala curry).
• Sri Lankan Potato curry(ala kiri hodi).
• Sri Lankan Dhal curry(parippu, dal, daal). or Sri Lankan Dhal(red lentil)spinach curry

• Meat dishes to try with this dish.
  • Sri Lankan chicken curry.
  • Slow-cooked beef curry(like my grandmother makes).
  • Sri Lankan Fish curry with coconut milk(thalapath fish curry).
  • Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry(Thalapath malu mirisata).
  • Srilankan prawn curry cooked in Coconut milk.

• Rice dishes to serve the beetroot curry with.
  • how to cook rice on the stove.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • Indian fragrant ghee rice(nei choru).

Explore more of the recipes here for more recipes to pair with this dish.

Tips to cook the best beetroot curry.

• Choosing beetroot
  • Always choose fresh beets to make any type of beetroot recipe.
    
  • Choosing a beetroot the size of your fist will reduce the number of beetroots to peel and slice.
    
  • Avoid beetroots that look shrunk or dry with blemishes on them, you’ll want to choose beets that are firm to the touch.

• Can I add coconut milk to this beetroot curry recipe?
  • Yes of course but I would suggest just 1/2 a cup to have as little gravy as possible.
    
  • I rarely add coconut milk to my beetroot curry as I want to taste the beetroot.
    
  • By adding coconut milk you will be making the beetroot another regular coconut milk curry with its creamy taste. It is not a bad taste but beetroot on its own tastes better in my opinion.

Please do go ahead and try and choose your preferred way of cooking this beetroot curry recipe.

beetroot recipes you can try!

Ribbon sandwiches (tea sandwiches)

Beetroot coconut mallum.

Raw beetroot and feta salad

Utensils and appliances needed.

• Chopping board and knife
• Medium-sized cooking pan

Storing

Let the curry cool and any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight glass container.

If you are using a plastic container use old ones as the curry stains.

Freezing

Can be cooled and frozen for 2 to 3 weeks.

Make sure to portion it out if you are making the beetroot recipe for a month.
I have actually portioned and frozen beetroot curry for my older kids when I had to travel overseas and needed them to have some home-cooked curries.

Reheating

Leave the frozen beetroot curry out until it reaches room temperature.

Reheat over the stovetop or microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Stop food waste by

2-3 large beetroot recipes can go a long way.

You can feed 3-4 so only cook as much as you need and the rest you can freeze.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

How to make beetroot curry

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients to cook Sri Lankan beetroot curry recipe

2 large Beetroots, peeled and then cut into thin strips of 1 inch or half

1/4 cup water

4-5 curry leaves(substitute with 1 bay leaf)

1 medium-sized onion sliced fine

2 garlic cloves cut into thin slices

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

4 tablespoons of oil

1/2 teaspoon of chilli flecks

1/4 teaspoon raw curry powder(optional)

Salt to season

Method

How to cut beetroot

Before you clean and cut the beetroot, you should know that the beet juice tends to stain your fingers and even clothes.

So if you want to avoid the red, staining of your nails then please wear disposable gloves.

If you have bought the beetroots with the stem and leaves cut them and save them for a beetroot leaves salad(read beginner’s notes above).

Wash the beetroot, peel the skin and slice them into fairly thin round slices.

You might have difficulty cutting the last portion of the beetroot into full circles but try to cut them into half circles.

Separate them in size and then stack three to four slices together and cut them into thin sticks.

Add the beetroot slices, curry leaves(4-5), sliced onions(medium), garlic(2), turmeric(1/2tsp) and salt into a pan. 

Pour in water(1/4 cup), mix all the ingredients and cook over low-medium heat until the water evaporates while turning the beets soft.

Cook for 10-12 minutes until the water completely evaporates.

At this stage, you can add coconut milk(1/4 cup)if you are looking for a more creamy dish but for this recipe, I’ll be adding oil to make more of a sautéed version.

Pour in the oil(4 tbsp), reduce heat to low and sautee the beetroot until they are semi-fried.

7-8 minutes. taste and season with salt if necessary.

Add chilli flakes(1/2 teaspoon or more) if you want a little heat to the beetroot stir fry.
You can also add curry powder(1/4 tsp)to give it a stronger flavour.

Serve the easy beetroot curry warm with any of the Sri Lankan menus given above.

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