Beetroot Pulao

One of the things I look forward to on a Sunday morning is visiting the farmers market. I always enjoy my time there and its so much more fun than shopping in a closed supermarket. One thing I buy regularly is a bunch of beets. They are so tender, fresh and juicy, with the greens still attached, something I don't find at the store where I shop for my other groceries. While a simple beetroot thoran is what I love best, this pulao makes a delicious, healthy and quick one pot meal, all you need with it is some yogurt.

I'm also sending this post to Aparna's Photography Exercise 2 and the theme for this month is "Less is More". She has asked us to keep the composition minimalistic, without the use of many props or other distractions, so that all the focus will be on the main subject. I shot the pictures with my Cannon T3i with the 18-135mm lens, in manual mode.

Beetroot Pulao

Ingredients:
1 medium beet with greens and tender stems
1 tbs oil

1 onion, diced

2 tsps ginger garlic paste

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

curry leaves

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup water

1 cup thin coconut milk

Method:

Wash the rice a couple of times and soak in some water for about 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tbs oil in  a pan and saute the onions and curry leaves until the onions are golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir until it no longer smells raw.

Add the dry spice powders and fry for a few seconds. Stir in the beetroot and mix well. Drain the rice and add to the pan along with the salt and fry everything for about 30 seconds.

Stir in the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, but do not uncover for another 10 minutes.

Uncover and fluff the pulao with a fork and serve hot with some raita or just plain yogurt.