This is a simple and unusual recipe. As beets take a long time to cook in the oven, I often use cooked beets that are sold abroad in vacuum sealed packets. This short cut makes the recipe much quicker to prepare. I puree the tomatoes to a thicker sauce, that will coat the beetroot.

Taken from : Madhur Jaffrey’s book, Indian Cooking.

Serves: 3 to 4

Ingredients:

350 g(3/4 lb) raw beets(weight without stems and leaves)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon plain flour
1/8 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and very finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water

Method:

Cut the beets into bite sized pieces.
Put the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 5 seconds. Put in the garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic pieces turn golden. Put in the onion. Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Put in the flour and cayenne. Stir and fry for a minute. Now put in the beets, the tomatoes, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beets are tender. Remove lid, turn up heat to medium, and cook uncovered for about 7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.