I have been quite hooked to Sri Lankan recipes 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.
If you like recipes with beetroots, then you may enjoy this Kerala beetroot thoran recipe, beetroot pachadi, and this dal with beet leaves.
Beetroot Thel Dala Recipe
Serves: 2-3
Source: Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized beetroots, peeled and diced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
10 curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 green chillies, sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt to taste
Instructions:
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 Sri Lankan beetroot 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. Two minutes before removing from the flame, add 1/2 cup thick coconut milk, simmer and remove.
Serve beetroot thel dala hot with plain steamed rice.
Managed to post it too 🙂 Thanks again, for the recipe.
Wanted something different from my usual Kannadiga style bhaji with beets and so found and tried this recipe of yours. Very tasty! Will post it soon. Thank you.
What do you mean by curry powder? Can sambar powder be used instead?
Curry powder is available in most Indian/Asian stores. You can also try sambar powder in this recipe.
this looks yummy.i love the color.
Sorry,iam goign to keral today. so can't participate in the monthlymingle.:(
thanks
prajusha
http://www.icookipost.com
Bingo!I was just going to post beetroot recipe. Have a look in a while. I would try this next time I get beet. Color is so good.
Hey you've got a beetroot recipe too 🙂 That sounds so flavorful in comparison to the usual poriyal i've tasted with this.
Looks very pretty. The color of beetroot stands out.
Looks very pretty. The color of beetroot stands out.
Different from the regular poriyal we make with grated coconut
the curry looks so healthy and colorful Nags. thanks 🙂
Best
Siri
Thanks for the introduction!
Sounds interesting….i liked the idea of adding coconut milk.Thanks for sharing!
I thought its a thoran initially,seeing all those masala’s sticking to beets..sounds interesting..:)
you seem to be knowing a lot of srilankan recipes.
That sounds an interesting reipe. Beautiful color!
Looks beautiful, have made simple beetroot curries before. But this recipe is entirely new, thanks for sharing. Yummy looking shots too.
Beetroot curry looks so lovely. Yummy!
This looks gorgeous! I have never used so much spice in beetroot before. must try for me.
I too have not tried any Sri Lankan food. This looks very easy. I think I would like the curry more with the coconut milk. Here we have a couple of Sri Lankan grocery stores and I was able to find a lot of unique ingredients, not in the sense that they are not available in India. Stuff like roasted moong dal powder, so that I can make moong dal laddus without having the trouble of roasting them and powdering it and then make the laddus.
If anyone tries it with the coconut milk, do let me know!
wowww… lovely color combination.. :)its tempting me.. 🙂
Hi Nags, I love beetroot!This is simple and flavorful. I will definitely try this for a welcome change from poriyal n beetroot rasam. I am sure the curry with coconut milk is likely to be more popular at my place. Awesome colour-ful entry:D
I have never tried any Srilankan stuff knowingly..who knows maybe had stuffed them in my belly and never knew that’s from Srilanka. Your pandan leaves still are on my hit list..This beetroot recipe sounds ok to me what with all those familiar ingredients I seem to have in my pantry..
Can you inform that certain other Ms.S that I am on an H4 visa and need to get work done around my home once in a while to show my sponsor that he didn’t commit a mistake in getting me here?? Thanks in advance for letting her know..
You are right- there are so many similarities between Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines.
I am going to make this with my current stash of beet root, only they have been already chopped into slices but lets see
Hey you’ve got a beetroot recipe too 🙂 That sounds so flavorful in comparison to the usual poriyal i’ve tasted with this.
I bet this would go very well with rotis. with all the cinnamon , garlic looks very ‘masaledar’. I see that a certain Ms S is not here. Still in bed I suppose tsk tsk…
Wow – what a dish! Looks so yum…
Tomatoes in Beets is quite interesting…gud one..:)
Bingo!I was just going to post beetroot recipe. Have a look in a while. I would try this next time I get beet. Color is so good.
Lovely color!
this looks yummy.i love the color.
Sorry,iam goign to keral today. so can’t participate in the monthlymingle.:(
thanks
prajusha
http://www.icookipost.com
It looks mouth watering Nags..i have tasted beetroot palya and loved it..for sure i will love this too..nice click!!
Sonu – thanks to photoshop!! 😀
Err.. kidding!! 😀 😀
The one we make is so simple and so bland in taste…this sounds so flavorful and spicy!! Nice entry for the event!!