I’m so excited to be part of the fourth Virtual Vegan Potluck! It’s always so much fun reading through all of the creative recipes, but my favorite part is being included in this awesome group! Annie is just the coolest for setting all of this up.
I’m also very happy that she chose the beet as the special ingredient this VVP, because it reminded me of an unusual yet delicious recipe I’d tried once before. If you’re visiting my blog for the first time, you won’t know that I’m absolutely obsessed with Indian food. In fact, my first VVP dish was a curry, although a Caribbean one. (My second was a cottage pie, and third was these delicious homemade Snickers, in case you were wondering.)
If I wasn’t married, I’d probably cook Indian food for every other meal.
Okay, almost every meal. I’d probably only deviate to have Mexican food. And, since I’m living in California, I have the best Mexican food at my doorstep, almost literally, and I rarely have to cook it anymore. But Indian? Yes, I still have to cook that.
But this is a great recipe for people who don’t like Indian food, because it doesn’t have turmeric or curry powder–any of those things that the curry-averse folks thinks equal “curry”. I won’t beat that dead horse again, but I’ve got problems with that frame of mind.
So this one is just a delicious, slightly spicy item to add to a cheeseboard or appetizer nibbles tray. It’s not even really a “chutney” in the way that I usually think of a chutney. I think of a jam-like substance when I think of chutney, and this isn’t that consistency. It’s more of a paté, but even drier than that.
Just make it—MAKE IT. I promise you’ll find that it is strangely addicting and yummy. I serve it with poppadums, but you can always just use crudites or your favorite crackers. I’ve seen recipes for making poppadums from scratch, but believe me, it’s like Mexican mole. Just buy them and cook them yourself. You can find them at Indian or even English grocery stores, or try online.
This is one of the few times I recommend using a microwave, as it makes cooking poppadums an absolute breeze! Brush them lightly with a neutral-tasting oil (I used almond oil), place on a paper towel and blast for about 30 seconds. Watch them expand into crispy crunchy tasty treats! Once I tried poppadums, potato chips lost all their appeal. Seriously, these things are crazy good. You have been warned…and as far as I can see, there’s no 12-step program to help you get that monkey off your back.
Go get out the food processor, grab a pair of gloves (those beets get messy!) and some mustard seeds, and get your chutney on. And then continue on to more vegan deliciousness!
++BTW, this recipe is vegan AND paleo–not always an easy trick to pull off. The poppadums, sadly, are not paleo. BOOOO. But carrot sticks are, so try veggie alternatives or paleo crackers instead.
Beetroot Thuviyal (Beet Chutney)
[Inspired by a recipe in the India cookbook by Pushpesh Pant.]
2-3 Tbs virgin, unrefined coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 dried red chilies
1 green chili (I used serrano), de-seeded and chopped
2 cups of grated beets
2 Tbs tamarind concentrate2 Tbs grated fresh or dried coconut
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (Switch to parsley if you’re one of those cilantro haters)
Sea salt to taste
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, dried red chilies and green chili and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the beets and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring well.
Combine the beet mixture with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and season with salt. Blend for about 45 seconds to one minute until it is well combined and the texture of a coarse paté.
Enjoy with poppadums, crackers, carrot and celery sticks, jicama, or even potato chips. This would also make a great filling for samosas!
Here’s some pics to explain about the beet grating. I used a food processor, but the grated beet was still big, thick pieces:
So I pulsed it with the blade a few times to make it into smaller bits. This way it cooks faster:
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Now get on to the rest of the Virtual Vegan Potluck—you’re only on Appetizers, and there’s a LONG road of delicious treats ahead! Enjoy the journey!
This sounds delicious! Especially with the tamarind and cilantro. Now I know exactly what I’m going to do the next time I buy beets!
Wow! What an awesome comment! Let me know how you like it!
I will! My favorite is coconut chutney, but I occasionally like to go all out and make more than one kind of chutney at a time… I’ll add this to the rotation!
Wow, thanks! And this has a but of coconut in it, so it should be a great complement to your coconut chutney. I’d love to see your recipe! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!
“Eat, Live, Burp.” So profound. 🙂
I wish I could claim it, but it’s another blogger! 😊
🙂
Yum!
Thanks!!
Is it crazy that I’ve never actually had chutney before? Yeah! This is awesome.
I don’t think it’s crazy! Chutney is kind of a crazy thing. I hope you give it a try –and thanks for taking the time to comment!
I LOVE Indian food – so maybe, just maybe you’ll convince me that I can love beets :-).
Try it with golden beets–subtler flavor. Maybe that would work best for you! Hope you like it–and I love that your special ingredient is something you DON’T like! 😊
Good tip! Yes, I really wanted to see what people would do :-).
Looks so good. What is “asafoetida”, I have never heard of it? What can you recommend as a substitute.
Thank you
It’s a ground root used a lot in Indian cooking. You can use a little minced garlic instead!
Interesting… Will try this soon. Never had beet chatni
I hope you like it! It’s quite dry for a chutney, but makes a lovely pre-dinner snack!
I will never say no to Indian food. Never. Very cool recipe!
Neither will I! Kindred spirits. I hope you try it!
It does sound strangely addicting, and I do love beets. So gonna give it a try!
It should be easy for you to find the ingredients in LA. Do let me know what you think! I’d love to try it with golden beets too.
Omgee! That’s oozing with yumminess! Love it!
What a compliment coming from YOU, vegan food goddess!!! Can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with on the VVP. something amazing, I’m sure!
I am totally with you one this! I could eat Indian or Mexican every day too! And I love beets! So I will certainly give this one a whirl!
I can’t wait to hear what you think! And Mexican and Indian food–LOVE. I always knew you had good taste! 😉
I love Indian food and beets! What a great appetizer. Thanks for sharing and happy VVP!
PS~Those snickers bars from May VVP were one of my favorite recipes!
OMG that’s so kind of you! The Husband loves them so much I have to make them all the time. I did improve the recipe, so check back on it–toasted almonds…❤️!!!!
Thanks for the heads up! Almonds are my favorite nut, yum!
SO much better than the peanuts in the original recipe!
Thank you! It’s so unusual but I love it!! And happy VVP to you too! I love this event. 🙂
i love this chutney.. so simple and a great dip
Thank you! It is super easy, with a lot of flavor. And any excuse to eat poppadums, right? 😉
What a lovely addition to the potluck (and your Snickers Bars had me drooling too!). 🙂
Thank you so much! I have to make more when I get home–the husband doesn’t like it when we are out of them. 😉
Such a pretty dish! I love beets because they make everything so colorful… but they stain EVERYTHING lol
I know! I wish I had worn gloves when I made it! Next time I’ll use golden beets–less messy! 🙂
yummy! i love thuvayal and this one is beautiful. rice and appalam are calling my name to pair with this lovely thuvayal.
Wow, thanks for the great comment! Please let me know how you like it. 🙂
I most definitely share in your sentiments about indian food. I’m seriously intrigued by this dish, so vibrant and such a tasty mix of flavours.
Kindred spirit! Thanks for the comment–do let me know what you think if you try it!
Yum! I love chutney on almost everything! Beets are such a perfect ingredient, sweet and gorgeous! Thanks you.
I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think of it! It is a lovely savory treat.
So may flavors 🙂 Love the creative use of beet.
Thank you!
Wow what a great colour and loving the flavour combo!
Thank you! The color is awesome, especially if you manage not to decorate your kitchen with it when you grate the beets… 😉
This DOES make me hungry! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks! I just had a bit more last night–it lasts really well!
I’m with you! I love indian food and would eat it almost every day if I could 🙂
Alex @ Delicious-Knowledge.com
You’re a woman with excellent taste. Have a great Thanksgiving! I’m sure you’ll be cooking up some wonderful dishes.
wow, what a healthy dip chutney!
i feeling healtier just by reading this post…….
Yes, the lack of sugar makes it different from other chutneys, and probably more healthy. Thank you!
I’m a huge fan of beet poriyal but your thuviyal looks super yum too. Beet makes everything beautiful! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Always hungry and always on the look out for my next snack! would it be very bad if I was to call this the ultimate dip? We have some great varieties of fresh beetroot available in the shops. They’re simply steamed in their natural juices and vaccum packed ready to go, they’d be pretty phenomenal in this chutney!
Well, I’m not going to say it’s bad if you called it the ultimate dip! 😉 I really like it, but then again, you KNOW how obsessed I am with Indian food. Those fresh, vacuum sealed beets sound lovely, and an easy way to make this. I really want to try it with golden beets–I think the color would be amazing too! And don’t forget the poppadums… x