This Indian Dish Gets Extra Color and Flavor From Fresh Beets

If you know and love Indian food, you’re probably obsessed with raita. This yogurt-based, saucy side dish or dip is so cooling that it’s the perfect antidote to a spice-scorched tongue. And in case you thought you couldn’t fall more in love, food writer Chetna Makan has a surprise for you: A gorgeously hued beetroot raita accompanied by a tasty tadka (spices bloomed in ghee).

In her cookbook, Easy Indian Vegetarian, Makan describes this exquisite dish as “a pretty pink number for your meal, with a tang of sweet and earthy flavors beautifully combined.” Sign us up.

This raita is incredibly easy to put together, as Makan writes: “You can prepare the raita beforehand and let it chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Just make and pour the tadka right before serving. This is great with any Indian meal.” Though if you want to flex your creative muscles and pair the side with any other cuisine, you might strike culinary gold.

Beetroot Raita Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 300ml (10fl oz) natural yogurt
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 beetroot, peeled and grated 

For the tadka

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients for the raita together in a bowl.
2. When ready to serve, heat the ghee for the tadka in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and let it all sizzle. Pour over the raita and serve. 

Excerpted from Easy Indian Vegetarian, by Chetna Makan, Hamlyn.