• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cooking Curries

  • Home
  • About
    • Work with me
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact

Home » Recipes » Cuisine » Indian

Beetroot Kichadi - Beets in a Spiced Yogurt Coconut Sauce

Published: Sep 4, 2014 · Modified: Sep 29, 2020 by Manju · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

42 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp

Beetroot Kichadi, also known as Beetroot Pachadi, is a delicately sweet and tangy raita-like dish where cooked beets are mixed together with a tangy and spicy ground coconut and yogurt base. 

Beetroot Kichadi - Beetroot Pachadi - Kerala Sadya Recipes -Cooking Curries - Onam Sadya - Vishu Sadya

This pink yogurty sauce thing always fascinated me when I was a child. I had had it only during weddings of mallus (slang for Malayalees, natives to the state of Kerala).

Being a TamBrahm (Tamil Brahmin, from the state of TamilNadu), this was not something made at home, even for sadyas and it always attracted me. Maybe it was the color, maybe it was something else, I don’t know.

I did not even know that it was beetroot, till maybe when I started cooking. Ever since, this kichadi has been something very dear to me and I try to make it whenever I can.

Beetroot Kichadi - Beetroot Pachadi - Kerala Sadya Recipes -Cooking Curries - Onam Sadya - Vishu Sadya

What is beetroot kichadi ?

Kichadi is any type of savory raita like condiment made with yogurt and coconut ground together with chillies and cumin. Some add ginger to this as well.

Beetroot kichadi has beets in it, where as okra kichadi or vendakka kichadi will have crispy fried okra in it and bitter melon kichadi will have cooked bitter melon in it and so on. You get the idea now, right?

Again, as with most recipes, especially Indian recipes that have been around for hundreds of years, every family has their way of making these dishes. I have had kichadis with no coconut in it as well. This is my way of making kichadis - with coconut and yogurt.

Some call this kind of preparation, pachadi too. For me pachadi is something sweet and kichadi is something savory. That is the single definition I go by.

Whatever the semantics may be and whether it is accurate for the purists or not, this is a darn good recipe. So, go ahead and make it anyway.

Beetroot Kichadi - Beetroot Pachadi - Kerala Sadya Recipes -Cooking Curries - Onam Sadya - Vishu Sadya (2)

How to make Beetroot Kichadi?

Beetroot kichadi is made with grated beets, freshly grated coconut, yogurt, green chillies, cumin seeds and red pearl onions.

Grated beets are cooked in water with some salt. Fresh grated coconut is blended to a smooth paste with yogurt, red pearl onions, green chillies and cumin seeds.

This coconut yogurt mixture is added to the cooked beets.

As a finishing touch, a tempered seasoning of curry leaves and mustard seeds fried in coconut oil is poured over the cooked beet coconut mix.

Serving suggestions:

Beetroot kichadi is a vegetable side that is served with rice. It tastes best with Kerala rose matta rice, a fat rice that is slightly pink in color with earthy flavors. But you can use any kind of white or brown rice that is not too fragrant.

Kerala matta rice takes a long time to cook. My favorite way to cook matta rice is in the Instant Pot.

This is typically served in the Kerala style feast, sadya, along with dozens of other curries and vegetable sides. You can find my entire collection of Kerala sadya recipes and read more about it in the post - Kerala Sadya Recipes

Beetroot Kichadi ~ Beets in a Spiced Yogurt Coconut Sauce

Beetroot Kichadi, a Kerala dish, is a type of beetroot raita where cooked beets are mixed together with a tangy and spicy ground coconut and yogurt base.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 113kcal
Author: Manju
[recipe_key]

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Beets peeled and grated
  • 2 cups Water enough to cook the beets
  • Salt to taste

To grind to a paste

  • ½ cup Grated Coconut * I use the freshly frozen ones
  • 4 Pearl Onions peeled
  • 2 Thai Green Chillies
  • ⅓ cup Yogurt

For tempered seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
  • 8 Curry leaves
  • ½ teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds

Instructions

  • Cook the grated beets in water with salt added. Cook through till most of the water is absorbed.
  • Grind all the ingredients under "To Grind to a Paste" to a fine paste, adding the yogurt towards the end, to make sure the coconut grinds properly.
  • Add this to the beet mixture, mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes under low heat. Do not keep it on high heat as the yogurt might curdle.
  • Heat the oil for tempering, add the mustard seeds, once they splutter, add the curry leaves and pour over the beet and coconut-yogurt mix.
  • Remove from heat.

Notes

* I use frozen grated coconut. This is fresh coconut that is grated and frozen and can be found in the freezer aisle of most Indian grocery stores.
I break out a big chunk from the packet while it is still frozen and place it in a microwave safe bowl. I then microwave it for 30 seconds to thaw and warm it a little. 
This makes sure that the oil in the coconut is not separated from the coconut itself, resulting in a much smoother grind.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Cookingcurries or tag #cookingcurries on social media. We would love to take a look and share!
« Varutharacha Sambar ~ Mixed Vegetables and Lentils in a Spiced Tamarind Sauce
Lemony Couscous Salad »
42 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aarika says

    April 13, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds amazing and absolutely unique! I would love to feature it on Just Beet It. Let's chat! It would be lovely to interview you. Your blog is fantastic!

    Reply
    • Manju says

      April 13, 2016 at 12:21 pm

      Sure Aarika! I would love that!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

manju in a purple sweater

Hi, I'm Manju!

Pull up a chair and grab a cup of chai while I take you along on a fabulous journey in my kitchen. Whether you love to cook with spices or you are intimidated by them, I can help you discover the power of spices in your food.

While we cook, eat and drink wine, I will also show you a glimpse of my life as a mother of two, a wife and someone who loves to dress up, eat and travel the world.

More about me →

Recent Posts

  • Dhaba Style Paneer Masala
  • Kerala Bakery Style Egg Puffs
  • Pumpkin Pecan Pie Bars
  • South Indian Coconut Rice - Thengai Sadam

Trending Recipes

  • Avial - Kerala Mixed Vegetable Curry with Coconut and Yogurt
  • Aloo Rasedar (No Onion No Garlic Potato Curry)
  • Instant Pot Indian Lamb Curry - Whole30 | Paleo
  • Butter Chicken - Murgh Makhani
Cooking Curries has been featured on prominent sites such as The Huffington Post, Woman's Day, Fox News, BuzzFeed, and many more.
  • Recipes by Cooking Method
  • Recipes by Course
  • Recipes by Cuisine
  • Recipes by Diet
  • Recipes by Season
  • Recipes by Holiday

Footer

↑ back to top

Contact

Work with me

Privacy Policy

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Cooking Curries. All Rights Reserved.

42 shares
  • 2