Beetroot Curd Rice is your classic curd Rice with an addition of beetroot puree. Serve it with fried rice papad and pickle (vegetarian, gluten-free)

Here are some more South Indian rice recipes that you may like – Ghee Rice, Indian Black Pepper Rice, Green Mango Rice, Turmeric Rice, Palak Rice, South Indian lemon Rice, and Ellu Sadam.

About This Recipe

Beetroot Curd Rice is your classic Curd Rice with the goodness of beetroot puree. It is comforting, easy to make, and has a beautiful pink hue to it.

It is quite popular in South India and is often prepared in households for their everyday meals. Serve it with fried rice papad and a pickle of your choice for a hearty meal.

You can easily double or triple the recipe for a bigger crowd.

Ingredients

For The Curd Rice

To make the curd rice, you will need short-grain white rice, plain yogurt (dahi, curd), milk, beetroot, and salt.

Short grain rice gives you better results, but you can make it with regular white rice too.

For The Tempering

Give curd rice a tadka of vegetable oil, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, white urad dal, fresh ginger, and dry red chilies.

I used vegetable oil but you can replace it with sesame oil, coconut oil, or even light olive oil.

For The Garnish

Garnish the Beetroot Curd Rice with cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) and pomegranate seeds.

You can also save some tempering for garnishing.

How To Make Beetroot Curd Rice

Cook The Rice And Beetroot

Rinse ½ cup of short rain white rice with water 2-3 times until the water runs clear.

Drain the water and add the rice to a pressure cooker. Keep a medium-sized whole peeled beetroot in the cooker and pour 1 and ½ cups of water into the cooker.

Close the lid of the cooker and cook the rice for 3 whistles on high heat.

Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid.

Note – You can also cook the rice and beetroot in an instant pot. Add ½ cup of rice, 1 cup of water, and beetroot to an instant pot. Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.

Puree The Beetroot

Bring the cooked rice and beetroot to room temperature.

Remove the beetroot from the cooker using a spoon or a tong and transfer it to a blender.

Blend to make a smooth puree

Note – If your blender is not very powerful, then you can cut the cooked beetroot into small pieces before pureeing.

Make The Curd Rice

Transfer the cooled rice to a medium mixing bowl along with ½ cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup milk, beetroot puree, and ½ teaspoon salt, and mix well.

Slightly mash the mixture using your hands.

Check for salt and add more if required.

Temper The Curd Rice

Heat 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds and 10-12 curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

Add 1 teaspoon white urad dal, ½ teaspoon grated ginger, and 1 dry red chili (broken into small pieces) and fry until dal turns slightly brown, stirring continuously

Pour the tempering over the curd rice and mix well. Chill the rice for 2-3 hours.

Tip – You can save some tempering for the garnishing.

Garnish with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled with rice papads.

Serving Suggestions

Beetroot Curd Rice can be served on its own for a simple and comforting meal with a side of pickle and fried rice papad.

You can also serve it as a side dish with South Indian meals.

It can be packed for office or school lunch box as well.

Storage Suggestions

Beetroot Curd Rice is a great “make ahead” recipe, that can be stored in an air-tight container for about 3-4 days. Give it a fresh tadka before serving.

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