Mint and Beetroot Raita (Instant Pot)
The beets in the garden are here. Love these red vivid sweet beauties. The easiest way to cook beets is in the instant pot. The skins just slip off beautifully. And then one of my favorite things to make with these beets is beetroot raita, with yogurt in your instant pot or other favorite electric pressure cooker.
This bright and vivid colors are so stunning and natural. They almost look surreal.
What is a Raita and my Beetroot raita?
A raita is a lightly spiced yogurt salad. Raita along with an assortment of other well seasoned dished brings balance, nutrition and texture to your meal. In fall, a beetroot raita is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the nutritious beet. Who said, all you can do with beets is to pair them with goat cheese.
Married with some Indian spices, they rock with yogurt. In this raita, I temper the naturally sweet constitution of the beets with some lime and sprinkle with some freshly torn mint leaves. Mint that is still out and about in the garden, add joy and freshness to everything near my life.
How to cook the beets
To cook the beets, I pop them in the instant pot for about 2 minutes and then release the pressure naturally. Here is the fun thing, once you pull them out, the skin just pops off. As easy as that. So, another Thanksgiving challenge solved. At least I would like to think that way.
Now, here is the deal, Of course, they can be used for this raita. If you just landed a large batch of beets, you can simply cook them and set them aside for use in any way you want. I sometimes just slice one or two along with the rest of my meal. Bursting with color, and rich in antioxidants and fiber, beets are a good addition to your diet.
The very simple recipe for this raita follows below. Other interesting raita recipes include my pomegranate raita and the classic cucumber raita.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Of course Instant Indian is here, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
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Ingredients
- 6 medium sized beets
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 cup natural yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala (if you do not have it, you can use equal parts of powdered cumin and black pepper)
- 1 tablespoon minced mint
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- Sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Place the beets with 2 cups of water in the instant pot. Cook under pressure for 2 minutes and allow a natural release. If you are in a rush, pressure cook for 5 minutes and do a quick pressure release.
- Cool the beets and drain. Remove the skin from the beets.
- Cut into a dice.
- In a mixing bowl add the yogurt, salt, chaat masala and mint and mix well.
- Stir in the chopped beets and chopped red onions. Sprinkle with sliced almonds if using.