Red amaranth is very beautiful and a natural source of energy, rich in iron and a whole lot of micro nutrients and fibre. It is very high in calcium and very good for all ages, from infants to adults.
On the other hand, beets are also packed with anti-oxidants, Folic acid and Iron. Which is considered as a super food to fight anaemia.
When my home grown red amaranth is harvested, this rice dish is what we love to eat, by adding Beetroot chunks to enhance the nutritional value. One can enjoy this one pot super tasty dish with any form of yogurt based side dish or even with plain yogurt and pickle. One can carry this in a tiffin box as well. It is a very good idea to feed greens to those who don’t like them, without they even noticing 😉
This time, when I harvested red amaranth, I thought of using fresh ground masala and it really tasted divine, oozing with flavours.
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice – 3 cups
Beet root – 1 big
Red Amaranth – 1 Small bunch
Onions – 2 (sliced)
Ghee/oil– 3 table spoons+1 tea spoon
Cumin -1 tea spoon
Bay leaves – 2 (small)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon
Milk – 1 cup
Curd -1 cup
Brown Bread – 3 slices
For Fresh masala:
Coriander – 1 tea spoon
Cumin – ½ tea spoon
Cardamom -2
Cloves- 2
Cinnamon – 1”
Black pepper – 8
Nutmeg – 1 pinch
Dried Red chillies – 2
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
Method:
-Wash rice and soak for 15 minutes.
-Wash Beetroot, chop into bite size pieces.
– Wash Amaranth greens, chop.
-Dry roast fenugreek seeds. When it is slightly brown, add all the other ingredients under masala and fry.
-Make a powder and keep it.
-Now take one pressure cooker. Add ghee or oil, fry cumin and bay leaves.
-Add sliced onion, fry until it is brown.
-Add ginger garlic paste, fry for 2 minutes.
-Add beetroot, chopped greens, fry until green wilts.
-Next add fresh ground masala powder, drained rice, salt.
-Mix everything and add milk, curd , 4 cups of water and 1 tea spoon of ghee,close the lid.
-After one whistle, keep it in a simmer for one/two minutes and switch off the gas.
-Now make small square size pieces of brown bread and deep fry and drain out excess oil.
-When pressure releases, add bread croutons and lightly mix everything.
– serve with any raita or plain curd and pickle.