Beet stalk poriyal

Beet stalk??well there is more stalk than green on top of the beets, but you may call it beet green poriyal if you prefer. Where do you get beet stalk? Well, if you buy bunched beets rather than by the pound, trimmed, you get two veggies for one price. The stalks and greens when sauteed are very similar in taste to Swiss chard, and surprisingly not sweet at all.

Wash and chop the beet stalk and greens.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mustard, urad dal and channa dal. Wait until mustard splutters and the dals turn golden.. Add the broken red chillies and the chopped onion. Saute until soft and add the chopped stalk first along with the chopped carrot. Saute until it shrinks a little bit, 3-4 minutes. Then add the chopped leaves and saute for a minute. Add salt and the grated coconut. Saute until the coconut melds into the poriyal.

Verdict: This poriyal is one of my favorites..because the stalks have great flavor and give a nice bite to the poriyal. Unlike other greens the beet greens are fairly sturdy and don't turn mushy. The carrots are a great addition that goes with the greens and also helps increase the quantity.

Sending this to the 'Healing Foods - Beetroot' event, a series that was originally started by Siri and to the 'Dish name starts with B' event at Akilas Kitchen.