Did you know that beets are not always red? I have recently discovered golden, purple, striped and orange beets and am not sure if they all are new varieties or I have been oblivious all these years. Golden and striped beets are milder in taste than the reds but not as luscious to look at. No matter their color or size, all beets are really good for you. Don’t you want that glorious deep red-magenta color to be reflected in your cheeks and lips? Vitamin B, fiber, iron, manganese…the list is long and I am not a nutritionist but take it from a mother, eat your beets.

I am one of those few people without any prejudices about beetroots. They have been called names like earthy, muddy, musty and so many other mean things by haters. I love beets and I am not scared to proclaim it!! There I said it!

Beetroot raita can be made in a couple of different ways, and here is the vegan version. Aai used beets in mainly 2 ways-like this in a koshimbir (Marathi for raita) or in mixed vegetable cutlets. Of course, the cutlets were favored by us more as children because they were shallow fried, didn’t taste like beets, and were the perfect after school snack. As my tastebuds matured, I started to love the beetroot raitas and although the girls still prefer the cutlets, I have got my husband to join my team in eating this raita as well as steamed, sliced beets with a kale salad.

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Step by Step

1. Boil 2 beets in a pressure pan, instant pot or in a microwave.
2. Allow them to cool and then peel and chop them into bite sized pieces.
3. Place in a bowl.
4. Add 1 Tbsp roasted and crushed peanuts, 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp roasted cumin powder, salt to taste and a pinch of sugar, set aside.
5. Mix it all together a few minutes just before serving.

Some Tips

1. Always bake, steam or boil the beets with the peel as it helps retain the nutrition. Also, the peels slide off easily after they are cooked.
2. You can use boil the beets with the peels before hand and keep them in the fridge. Remove an hour before making the raita and then peel and chop them.
3. Beetroot prep can stain your fingers, knife and the chopping chopping board to a very pretty pink, which is washed away easily with water. But, if you don’t want that some people prefer to wear gloves while prepping beets.
4. I use roasted and crushed peanuts in several raitas. I roast and coarsely grind raw peanuts and store them in a jar for use in recipes. You can also buy roasted peanuts and run them briefly through the grinder.