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Beetroot is among the healthiest vegetables, especially to overcome certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the body. According to a study published by Food Science & Nutrition in 2021, this vegetable can help you deal with a few chronic diseases, improve the performance of an athlete, reduce oxidative stress, and is loaded with vitamins A and E. It also contains iron, making it a go-to ingredient for people struggling to improve the haemoglobin count in their body.
Video Credit: Tiffin Box Recipes/ YouTube
With several benefits for your health, why would you not include beetroot in your diet? Boasting deep red, pink, and purple hues, the vegetable is a natural source to add colours to your dishes. However, many people don’t know how to incorporate it into their diet. Here are a few Indian breakfast options that you can modify with a twist of beetroot and make your first meal of the day more nutritious.
Beetroot Poha
One of the easiest ways to add beetroot to your breakfast is by making it a part of the ingredients for poha. Saute grated beetroot along with sliced cabbage, chopped onion, slit green chillies, mustard seeds, and a handful of curry leaves. Add soaked flattened rice to the kadhai and toss it well. You will notice that poha will soon turn pink. Before serving, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.
Beetroot Dosa
To your regular batter of dosa, you can add beetroot puree. It will instantly turn the colour of the batter from white to pink while making it more nutritious and healthy. Follow the same routine of spreading the mixture on a hot tawa, add ghee on the edges, and once the base starts turning crispy, top the dosa with aloo masala or grated paneer. Serve it hot with sambar and a variety of chutneys.
Beetroot Paratha
Either grate a beetroot or roast it and blend it into a puree before adding to the flour. Knead a soft dough and keep it aside for a while. To make it more flavourful, you can also add cumin powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala, and salt to taste the dough before kneading it. Take small dough balls, roll them into circular or triangular shapes, and cook the beetroot paratha on a hot tawa until both sides are crispy. Enjoy it with curd or curry of your choice.
Beetroot Uttapam
Make a smooth batter of beetroot, rice, and urad dal. There should not be any lumps, and the consistency of the batter should neither be too thick nor too runny. Add grated beetroot (optional), grated carrot, chopped onion, chopped French beans, sliced cabbage, and other vegetables of your choice to the batter. Add a few spices and spread a ladle of batter on a hot skillet. Serve delicious Indian pancakes with the chutney of your choice.
Beetroot Dhokla
Have you seen or tried Pink Dhokla? You can turn yellow dhokla into pink by adding a puree of beetroot to the batter. Leave the chickpea flour and rice batter to ferment for a while. Steam the batter, and once it is ready, keep it aside to cool off. Add tempering of green chillies and mustard seeds on top along with the garnishing of grated coconut and green coriander leaves.
Beetroot Upma
To make beetroot upma, you just have to add one ingredient to infuse the twist. Follow the traditional recipe of upma, but saute grated beetroot along with other vegetables. Season the semolina mixture with salt, black pepper, mustard seeds, red chillies, and curry leaves. It is one of the healthiest and most lightweight breakfast choices for Indians. You can pair it with a glass of fruity smoothie or a hot cup of coffee/ tea.
Beetroot Idli
Much like your regular idli, you can make beetroot idli. Add puree of beetroot to the idli batter and keep it aside after mixing. Once the batter has fermented, steam the idli and enjoy with sambar or chutney. If you have leftover idlis, you can dice and saute them with mustard seeds, sliced onions, grated coconut, and red chilli powder to make idli fry in the morning. Both options are great as the first meal of the day.
