Beetroot and Fennel

I always get a happy feeling when I put a bunch of beetroots into my shopping basket.  Beetroot is full of magnesium, iron and antioxidants.  And its rich red colour makes for a great looking vegetable!  In the UK, Beetroot is combined with Fennel and served as a salad.  I wanted to cook this as a sabzi in a rich sauce, to be eaten with chapattis.  Turned out to be super delicious, try it for yourself!

Before you begin:
5 medium sized beetroots
A large bulb of fennel
1 small can (about 160 ml) of coconut cream
2 tblsp tomato paste
1 tsp each Jeera (cumin) and fennel seeds, to season
1 tblsp butter
Salt to taste

Good to know:

• Coconut milk may not work as well due to its thinner consistency.
• If fennel bulb is fresh and young, use up whole.  Otherwise, discard outer layer.

Making the beetroot sabzi:


Peel, wash and cube the beetroot.  Wash and finely chop fennel.  Roughly mix the Jeera and fennel seeds using a pestle and mortar.


Heat a heavy bottomed pan.  Spoon butter into the pan, followed by the Jeera and Fennel mix.  Stir briskly.  Add in chopped fennel and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add in the beetroot and salt.  Cook covered for about 10-15 minutes.  When the beetroot has become tender add in the tomato sauce and let it cook until the smell of raw tomato has disappeared.  Finally add in the coconut cream and mix well.  Cover and simmer for 1-2 minutes.   Serve hot.

Red cabbage pulav

I have a soft corner for red cabbage :) It has a beautiful colour and makes for great tasting crunchy salad.  However I have wondered how to make this a part of the main meal without putting off the rest of the family.  Until I hit on this idea for a pulav ....read on!

Before you begin:
Half red cabbage, thinly sliced and washed
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
2 tbsp mango chutney (sweet sour taste)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp each Jeera & Sauf (fennel) for tadka
A handful of cashewnuts, lightly roasted
Oil for tadka
Salt to taste

Good to know:

• The mango chutney gives the pulav a sweet / sour taste and offsets the mild bitterness in the red cabbage.  I happened to have the chutney in my cupboard at the time :)
• Adding olive oil and a salt to the water while boiling rice ensures the grains stay separate and taste a lot nicer.
• Use a stir fry pan to get crispy cooked cabbage.

Making the pulav:

Boil the rice until it is cooked but firm, drain and spread out on a plate to cool.

Roughly mix the Jeera and Sauf using a pestle and mortar to break up their skins.  Heat the oil in a stir fry pan on high heat. Add the Jeera and Sauf; stir for a few seconds.  Add the red onion and ginger; saute for 2 minutes or so.  Add in the sliced cabbage, mango chutney, coriander  powder, cinnamon powder and salt.  Remember the gas is on high and you are using a stir fry pan, therefore stir briskly to avoid burning.  Add some water if required.  Continue until the cabbage is cooked but crisp.   Now turn down the heat and add in the boiled rice.  Toss well. Switch off the gas and season with roasted cashewnuts.  Serve hot.