Chaat masala roast beetroots and shallots with coconut, cashews and curry leaf oil
2 - Lunch, Salad
Ingredients
500g small beetroot, scrubbed and halved
Rapeseed oil, to drizzle
2 tsp chaat masala
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g shallots, peeled and halved
30g unsweetened desiccated coconut
50g cashew nuts
For the curry leaf oil
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tsp white urid dal (split black gram)
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
15 fresh curry leaves
1 Kashmiri or mild chilli, broken into pieces
Juice of 1 lime
Description
Earthy beetroot and shallots come alive with a sprinkle of deeply savoury chaat masala and a warming, south Indian-style tempered oil.
Directions
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the beetroot in a roasting tin, lightly drizzle with a little oil, add half the chaat masala, season and roast for about 15 minutes. Add the shallots, drizzle over a little more oil and the remaining chaat masala, toss and roast for another 40 minutes, until the beets and shallots are tender and caramelised. Add the coconut and cashews, roast for three minutes more, until golden brown, then remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil for the tempering in a small frying pan. Sizzle the dal and mustard seeds, until the mustard seeds pop, then sprinkle in the asafoetida, curry leaves and chilli, and fry for a few seconds more. Transfer the beetroot and shallots to a platter, spoon over the oil and mix gently. Squeeze over the lime juice and serve.