Beetroot chutney (Beetroot thuvayal)

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1. 2 beetroots

2. 5 dried chillies (if short take 7)

3. 25 grams yellow gram (also called chana dal or kadala paruppu)

4. 1 Tamarind (about the size of a lemon)

5. Ginger or Ginger-Garlic paste.

6. Salt

7. 4 tea-spoons of oil

8. 1 tea-spoon of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and Urad dal for seasoning

9. Mixer/Blender/Liquidiser

Preparation method:
1. Soak the tamarind in 100 milli litres of water and keep it aside.

2. Heat one tea-spoon of oil in frying pan and fry the dried chillies.

3. Heat one tea-spoon of oil in frying pan and fry yellow grams until they turn pale red in colour.

4. Slice the beetroots into smaller cubes (about 1-2 cubic cm). Heat one tea-spoon of oil in frying pan and fry the beetroots in oil.

5. Grind dried chillies and yellow gram with a tea-spoon of water and salt (usually 4 tea-spoons) in Mixer and keep the contents aside.

6. Grind sliced and fried beetroot with two tea-spoons of water in Mixer and keep the contents aside.

7. Grind tamarind water and keep the contents aside.

8. Finalizing the recipe:
a) Seasoning - Heat one tea-spoon of oil in frying pan. Put the mustart seeds and wait until it spurts. Add ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds and urad dal. Wait until urad dal turns pale reddish colour. Make sure heat is medium.

b) Add the chillies and yellow gram mixture to the pan. Add the beetroot mixture to the pan. Add the tamarind mixture. Stir the contents such that everything gets evenly distributed in the pan. After 2 minutes reduce the heat to low.

c) Keep stirring every 5 minutes for about half an hour in low heat.

Beetroot chutney goes with rice, idly, dosas and rotis. It is even a good side for any dish. No wonder is my mom's favourite and mine too!