Beet Bata / Bengali Style Mushy Beetroot fry

Nobody wants to eat simple beetroot. Even I used to hate that potato and beetroot curry in my childhood. So to make us eat the beetroot, my “masi” invented this recipe, “beet bata”. "Bata" in Bengali cuisine refers to those category of recipes which are fried until the main ingredient becomes completely mushy. These recipes are generally very spicy and tends to have a pungent smell of the garlic. But here the strong garlic flavour overpowers the typical odd flavour of the beetroots and the addition of sugar gives it a nice taste, which is neither too sweet nor just salty.

Beet Bata / Bengali Style Mushy Beet Fry

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

4 beetroots

4 fat cloves of garlic – roughly pounded 

Salt – to taste

2 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp pure virgin mustard oil

2-3 green chillies – finely chopped

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp nigella seeds

2-3 green chillies - chopped

Method:

Cut both ends of the beetroots and peel off their skin.

Grate the beetroots and keep them aside.

Take a kadai and heat the oil.

Add the nigella seeds.

As the seeds start to sizzle add the roughly pounded garlic in it and fry until the garlic becomes golden.

Add the grated beetroot to it and sprinkle over some salt, sugar, chopped green chillies and turmeric powder.

Stir to mix and put cover.

The beetroot will ooze out water, so there is no need to add water to cook it.

You just have to stir it every 2-3 minutes till the beetroot gets cooked.

When the moisture evaporates, stir continuously so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan / kadai.

After another 3-4 minutes of stirring and cooking the beetroot will start coming off the kadai and it will take the form of a lump.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Finally when you see the oil separating from it switch off the flame and serve hot as a starter with simple plain hot rice.