Beetroot thoran is a staple recipe of Kerala cuisine. This is a popular and delicious dish prepared by cooking the beetroot with a flavourful and aromatic coconut masala paste. This beetroot thoran is a great accompaniment for hot steamed rice or matta rice with sambar. It is an essential side dish in Kerala Onam Sadhya feast. It is healthy and easy to make recipes and it is rich in bright red color, which goes very well with any South Indian meal.
Beetroot Thoran Recipe
I love beets when it is made into thoran like this. I don't like the chunky beet poriyal, this one is my favorite. It has a sweeter taste and it smells so coconut from your ground coconut masala and coconut oil which we use. I loved the colour and look of this a lot. Also check my beetroot pachadi.
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I have quite a few thoran recipe in this blog. You can check all of them here. Coconut based dishes go very well with any spicy gravy like kara kulambu or puli kulambu. I hope you will try this and let me know how it turned out for you.
About Beetroot Thoran
Thoran is a dry dish and commonly prepared using different vegetables like carrot, cabbage, raw banana, radish, beans or even with meat varieties like fish, chicken and mutton. Thoran is widely popular for its simplicity and burst of flavours.
Beetroot is a root vegetable known for its bright red color. It is rich in iron, antioxidants and fibre which helps to boost blood health and improves digestion. It is also good for your skin.
Beetroot thoran is an aromatic and flavourful side dish made by stir frying the beetroot with coconut and spices. This thoran has a natural sweetness from the beetroot and coconut which is well balanced with spices like chilli, cumin and shallots. This is an authentic Kerala recipe and is relished in Onam Sadhya meal. Beetroot thoran is a quick recipe to prepare and you can serve this delicious side dish for a weekday lunch meal or even for a kids lunch box.
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Why This Recipe Workds
Balanced flavours : The natural sweetness from the beetroot and coconut is perfectly balanced with the spicy flavours of garlic and dry red chilli. It will not be too spicy and so it is a great option to serve kids along with rice. These kids will surely enjoy this beetroot thoran because of its pink color without any complaints ! So it is a win-win recipe for both adults and kids. This pachadi is next level.
WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE - Beetroot thoran is loved for its simplicity and taste. It looks so colorful and adds an instant pop up color when served on the plate or in a banana leaf meal. Beetroot and the coconut masala paste blends well and creates a balanced flavour of sweet and spice. It is also a great way to introduce beetroot to the kids as they will love it instantly because of its color and sweetness.
Quick and easy : This beetroot thoran can be easily prepared with the basic spices, vegetable and coconut. When you have already grated the beetroot during weekends, then this recipe can be made quickly during busy days in less than 15 minutes.
Nutrition : Beetroot has a lot of health benefits and it is rich in iron, fiber and antioxidants. This helps to improve blood health, boosts immunity and also maintains a good healthy skin.
Ingredients
Beetroot : Beetroot is the main ingredient of thoran. It is an earthy root vegetable, bright in color and has natural sweetness. You can use chopped or grated beetroot for this recipe.
Masala paste : This is fresh and flavourful aromatic paste prepared for thoran. Grated coconut, shallots, dry red chilli, garlic and cumin seeds are grinded into a coarse paste without adding any water. This paste has a balanced flavour of sweetness from shallots, coconut and spice from garlic, red chilli. You can also substitute red chilli with green chilli.
Tempering : Whole spices like mustard seeds, urad dal are tempered in coconut oil for enhancing the aroma and flavour in thoran.
Hacks
Food processor : If you're busy or short on time during cooking, use the food processor to chop or grate the beetroot. This instantly saves time on busy days.
Steaming or pressure cooking : Place the chopped beetroot in a steamer basket or in a bowl. Add a ¼ cup of water to the pressure cooker, or instant cooker or in a steamer pan. Place the vegetable and pressure cook it or steam the vegetable for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Quick cooking : If you want to cook this thoran quickly, then use grated beetroot as they tend to cook faster and less time consuming compared to chopped beetroots.
Cooking beetroot : Heat coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Let it sizzle. Then add grated or chopped beetroots along with salt and water. Cover and cook for 5 mins.
Completely dry : The beetroot should be completely cooked and the water must be evaporated before adding the coconut paste.
Beetroot Thoran (Step by Step Pictures)
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| Mom grinds beets in this simple machine |
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| It chops veggies very finely |
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| Beets are chopped with no mess |
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| Take the grinding ingredients in a blender |
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| Make into a coarse puree without adding any water |
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| Heat some coconut oil |
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| Add in mustard and urad dal |
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| Add in chopped beets |
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| Season with salt |
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| Saute well |
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| Pour in water |
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| Cover with a lid |
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| Cook beets till done |
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| Once the beets are cooked and dry |
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| Add the coconut masala |
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| Saute well |
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| Done |
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| Serve |
Expert Tips
- Add a pinch of sugar while cooking beetroot to retain its color.
- Add other vegetables like grated carrot, beans or tofu for added taste.
- For extra protein, you can also add boiled yellow or green moong dal.
- Boiled sprouts can also be added along with beetroot for added nutrition and it gives a nutty taste.
- You can substitute shallots with regular onion for grinding the paste.
Storage
Store the leftover beetroot thoran in an airtight container. It stays good in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. You can reheat using a steamer pan or in a microwave oven.
Serving
Traditionally beetroot thoran is served in Onam Sadhya meal along with matta rice or white rice, sambar, pachadi, aviyal, kootu, appalam and payasam. You can also serve it with rice in your everyday lunch menu or pack it for your kids lunch box along with sambar rice.
FAQ
Q. What is the difference between pachadi and thoran ?
Pachadi is a curd and coconut based semi gravy recipe which is a blend of sweet, spicy and sour. Whereas thoran is a vegetable coconut stir fry recipe and is a dry dish. Both of the recipes are great accompaniments with rice, sambar and rasam.
Q. What is difference between thoran and poriyal?
Poriyal is made by sprinkling freshly grated coconut on top of a sauted and cooked stir fry. Thoran is commonly prepared by cooking the cabbage with grated coconut.
Q. Is beetroot thoran spicy?
Beetroot thoran is not spicy. It is mildly spiced and has a hint of sweetness from beetroot and coconut. You can adjust or add extra chillies if you want to make it spicier.
Q.Can I make it with other vegetables?
Absolutely! Thoran is a versatile recipe that you can make using other vegetables of your choice like beans, drumstick, cabbage, carrot or even with meat like chicken, mutton and fish.
Variations
Beetroot poriyal : Beetroot poriyal is a quick South Indian stir fry recipe. The beetroot are sauteed with grated coconut, tempered with spices and salt. This poriyal is a quick and healthy recipe and is a perfect side dish for sambar rice or rasam rice.
Beetroot kurma : Beetroot kurma is a colorful and flavourful kurma which is quite different from the regular kurma. The beetroot is cooked in a rich and creamy sauce with nuts, coconut and chilli. It is a great accompaniment for idli, dosai, roti, pulav and chapathi.
Beetroot coconut burfi : Beetroot coconut burfi is an Indian dessert recipe prepared using grated beetroot and coconut. The burfi is flavoured with cardamom powder, ghee and cashewnut. It is a quick and easy sweet recipe to serve during special occasions like New year and Diwali.
More Thoran Recipes
📖 Recipe Card
Beetroot Thoran | Beetroot Thoran Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 medium Beetroot peeled and chopped very finely
- Salt to taste
To Grind
- 1 cup Coconut grated
- 2 no Dry Red Chillies
- 2 no Shallots | Sambar onion peeled
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
To Temper
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Split Urad Dal
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
- Take coconut, cumin, dry chillies, garlic and onion in a blender. Make it into a coarse mixture without adding any water.
- Heat oil in a kadai. Add in mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Cook for a min.
- Now add in the chopped up beets and saute for 5 mins till the raw smell leaves away. Now add in salt and mix well. Pour in water and cover with a lid. Cook till the beets are tender and completely cooked. Now open the lid and if there is any water left, increase the heat and evaporate it.
- Once the water is gone and beets is dry. Add in the ground up masala and mix well. Fry the whole thing for a good 5 mins or so. Switch off the flame and serve.
Video
Nutrition
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Aruna Manikandan
simple and delicious poriyal, love it 🙂
Happys Cook
colorful beetroot thoran
Coral crue
that manual machine your mom uses looks very good. what is it called?
i love this beetroot thoran better than the chunky one. i will try this.
Priya Suresh
Very healthy thoran, love with a bowl of rice.