Beetroot is one of those super foods which do not get the limelight it deserves. Filled with immune boosting nutrients, great at lowering blood pressure, full of dietary fiber, and a plethora of vitamins your body needs, it should be served on every dinner table. Add it to salads, make soups, blitz to make a ketchup or like I have done, rustle up a quick and simple coconut curry which we love to mix with rice and savor any time we want a side dish. My favorite part of the beets is the greens that come attached with it. Don’t they look fresh, healthy and so inviting?
Did you know they are chock full of antioxidants, are high in vitamin B6, low in fat and cholesterol and full of minerals and fiber? So, why do you want to throw them away and use just the beetroots? Most of the grocers just cut them off before trying to sell the beets. So, when I come across a large bunch of beetroots with the greens attached, I grab them before he can cut them off! Once chopped and cooked, they taste almost like cooked spinach or any other cooked greens you love.
So, today, I am sharing a typical Konkani style (from the southern part of India) coconut curry. Beet greens are washed clean, chopped and cooked in a pressure cooker until just soft. You can use an instant pot or cook it over a stove top too! For some color, texture and more fiber, add some chopped fresh beetroot along with the greens. I have used a pressure cooker to fasten the cooking of the beets and beet greens. You can use either the stove top pressure cooker or Instant Pot (pressure cook on HIGH just 2 minutes).
For the coconut curry, just make a fine paste of coconut, roasted dry red chilies and tamarind (for the hint of sourness) and add to the cooked greens. This same coconut masala can be used to many more dishes using legumes, beans, veggies etc.! Give it a boil and this now needs a tempering which all coconut curries or chutneys need to amp up the flavor!
Most temperings need some coconut oil with either garlic or mustard seeds. For this dish called “ghashi” in Konkani, use crushed garlic. Just smash the garlic with the flat end of a large knife along with the skin. Traditionally, we use only crushed garlic; brings out the best flavor of garlic.
If the garlic pods are large, just peel and chop them. Either way, the fried garlic gives a lovely aroma to the whole dish. Another variation of this is is using onions. If you love onions, then you must try beet greens coconut curry using onions in the curry and as a tempering too; Beet Greens Ambat, another favorite of ours! Mix well and serve this amazing, healthy, totally vegan garlic flavored Beet Greens Coconut Curry or Beetroota Palle (leaves) Ghashi with hot steamed rice or with some Indian flatbread or even toasted bread!
BEET AND RADHISH GREENS GHASHI (Updated March 16, 2023):
My local grocer this time had super fresh organic beetroot with absolutely gorgeous greens still attached and to my excitement, the small red radishes which I normally get to use in salads had fresh greens attached too!
So, I wasted no time in making my favorite ghashi using these fresh greens!
Happy Cooking! Enjoy these other beetroot dishes I have cooked up in my kitchen:
Beetroot Rasam/Soup Healthy Raw Carrot and Beetroot Salad Eggless Chocolate Beetroot Cake
Make it now or PIN for later on: Cook Time: 15 minutes
1 beetroot, washed, peeled and chopped Beet greens from three beetroots For the coconut curry: ½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen) 6 to 8 dry red chillies 1 small marble-sized tamarind or ½ tsp tamarind paste For the seasoning or tempering: 2 tsp coconut oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed or peeled and sliced Salt to taste
Instructions Notes Cannot find beet greens attached to your beets? Do not panic! You can make this lovely and healthy south Indian coconut delight with just fresh beets too! Adjust the amount of red chilies according to your spice level. Make it thick or thin by adjusting the amount of liquid you add, and you can enjoy this dish with any Indian flat bread or some hot cooked rice!
I am sharing this with Angie’s FiestaFriday along with cohost Antonia @ Zoale.com | RecipeoftheWeek | If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page
