Sri Lankan Beetroot Thel Dala Recipe

Thel Dala refers to a dry stir-fried dish in Sri Lanka. Usually this is made with Potatoes and called ala thel dala. The book I had mentioned in my previous post on Sri Lankan Mango Curry, Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka, actually details a thel dala using beetroots.

I have been quite hooked to the book and reading up on differences and similarities between Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines. I really want to try using their salted chillies in my cooking too. The book mentions how they marinate chillies in salt water and use that in their curries. The use of coconut milk is also quite extensive in their recipes.

Beetroot Thel Dala Recipe

Serves: 2-3

Source: Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

What I Used:

2 medium-sized beetroots, peeled and diced

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped

10 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 green chillies sliced

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

salt to taste

How I Made It:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, curry leaves, cinnamon and garlic and saute until golden brown - about 1 to 2 mins. Then add the beetroot and toss for another 2 mins.

2. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, curry powder, turmeric and chilli and stir until spices are mixed through.

3. Add 1/4 cup water, bring to boil then simmer until the beetroot is tender - about 7 mins. Mix in salt to taste and remove.

Note:

Instead of thel dala, you can also make a curry with the same recipe by adding coconut milk. At step 3, instead of adding water, add 1/4 cup light coconut milk and cook till beets are tender. 2 mins before removing fire, add 1/2 cup thick coconut milk, simmer and remove.

Serve with rice.

This too goes to A.W.E.D Sri Lankan Cuisine hosted by Siri, conceptualized by DK.

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