Beetroot Curry

Beautiful Sri Lankan Beetroot Curry

Making this curry is one of my favourite things to do to one of my favourite vegetables. I have only eaten it a couple of times (in Sri Lanka) before I tried making it myself and I noticed the recipes vary enormously. They are nearly always made with a coconut based sauce and a blend of spices to really bring out the earthy flavour and texture of the beetroot.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp oil

• 8 fresh curry leaves

• 1 large red onion, peeled and diced

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

• 2 green finger chillies, finely chopped

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 500g beetroot, cut into 0.5cm half-moons. You can use either pre-cooked beetroot (in which case, skip the cooking of the beetroot step and don’t discard any of the beetroot juice in the package) or you can use raw beetroot (in which case, wear kitchen gloves to avoid pink hands!)

• 2 tsp salt

• 400ml tinned coconut milk

• Coriander, lemon or lime to serve

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a pan

• Fry the curry leaves, letting them crackle and pop for about 1 minute

• Stir in the onion, garlic and chilli and cook on a low heat until the onions become soft and translucent (about 6 minutes)

• Add the cumin and cook for another minute

• If using pre-cooked beetroot Add the beetroot and the bright pink juice to the pan with the coconut milk and bring to a boil

• If using raw beetroot Add the beetroot to the pan with 1/2 cup of water, put the lid on the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Then add the coconut milk and bring to the boil

• Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off until the sauce has thickened

• Add the salt, stir and serve with the coriander and the wedges of lemon or lime

Enjoy! Joseph x