Beetroot Bottle Guard Raita - Beet in Yogurt Dip

Diwali has just passed off and I am sure most of you must have already pledged your Resolutions not to have another bite of Sweet for the whole year ahead.. Err !! Or a few days before new year's Eve... at least till Christmas...At least I have done that umpteenth no of times.. Every Diwali has successfully added a few pounds to me, and then I have struggled for next 2-3 months to shed them off. So many times it has happened that my metabolism has got immune to this Diet Program. I am seriously thinking I should stop bingeing on the sweets at least for the rest of the year. Wish I had more control over my sweet tooth, serious envy to those who those like sweets...  Big Sigh !!

Coming to the recipe, this Lauki and Beetroot Raita had never been my favorite. When my Mum used to make this in summer weekends, that was last bowl on the platter to get my hands on. Despite her strong conviction strategies, she never was successful in making me have more than a bowl. The bland taste always used to put me off and left me wondering why Mum had to make this, me being so sullen  to eat it. I now realize the reason behind her constant insistence to have this wonderful combination of Coolers and Digestives.

This Yogurt dip, light and flavourful in its own delicate way is  now my favorite and I usually make it atleast once every month, more in Summers. Bottle Guard is usually a Summer vegetable in India but since we get it whole year through and its light to Stomach, I cook it a lot. Beetroot is a wonder veggie in itself and there really is no need for me to pitch this up. :)

Any ways, this Beetroot Bottle Guard Yogurt dip serves very well, when you have a gravy aside like Palak Paneer, Veg Makhani etc and balances out the richness of the Curry. I have seen some versions where people dont cook the Lauki before adding up to the Yogurt. But I prefer cooked one more, since the raw smell of the vegetable is dominating on beetroot other wise. This makes it little soft though, and some might like it crunchy as in Cucumber Raita. But thats OK with me, since the crunchiness comes from Beetroot anyways. 

What you need ?

• 2 cups Yogurt 
• 1 cup grated Bottle Guard
• 1/2 cup grated beetroot
• 1 tsp Oil 
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, black Salt each 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves ( Kasuri Methi )
• Water, almost 1 cup depending on thickness of Yogurt 
• handful of curry leaves 

How to Make ?

• Whisk the Yogurt well with water and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan, and splutter Cumin Seeds. Add curry leaves, and fry. 
• Add and fry bottle guard on medium flame for 5-7 minutes till it gets cooked. Let it cool at room temperature. 
• Add it to the Yogurt along with rest of the ingredients and stir. Sprinkle Black salt and Kasuri Methi on top. 
• Have it chilled or at room temperature as an accomplishment to Curries and Dal-Rice 

 

My Notes: 

• You can also skip the step of cooking Bottle Guard and have it raw if you prefer
• I have not added salt while cooking Lauki, since it will make it further soggy. Add salt just before serving the Raita, to prevent it from getting sour and avoid vegetables to become Soggy
• You can also add dried red chillies in Tadka before adding Bottle Guard