What a Swell Palyaa

To celebrate the national holidays of the US (July 4), Canada (July 1), and Belarus (July 3), I prepared some recipes from India. This beet dish was new to me. I came across this intriguing recipe for beet palyaa at Sugar and Spice.

I followed the recipe except that I used dried red chiles instead of fresh green ones, and I did not add any curry leaves (kadipatta), because it seemed that on Independence Day one can be exempt from extra shopping trips. You know already that I am a fierce patriot of beta vulgaris in all its forms, but I had never made anything quite like this.

I heated the oil and sizzled spices and a few tablespoons of urad dal. For this dish the lentils function as a seasoning rather than a staple ingredient. Then I added the thinly sliced onions and finally the sliced beets. Cooking time is brief, especially for a beet recipe, and the sweet spicy palyaa is delicious hot off the stove or at room temperature.

Sweetnicks rounds up recipes that declare independence from oxidants.

Food and Drink, Recipes, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian, vegetables, vegan, antioxidant-rich foods,
beets, beetroot, Indian cuisine