Braised Beet Salad with Golden Raisin Vinaigrette from 'Indian Cooking Unfolded

Name: Braised Beet Salad with Golden Raisin Vinaigrette from 'Indian Cooking Unfolded
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian, Asian
Ingredients: 680 grams beets with their green tops; 4 servings Braised Beets; 59 milliliters canola oil; 59 milliliters cider vinegar; 59 milliliters firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 3 (each about the size and thickness of a 25-cent coin) fresh ginger (no need to peel the skin); 4 servings Golden Raisin Vinaigrette; 118 milliliters golden raisins; 227 grams mixed salad greens (like mesclun); 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 fresh green serrano chile, stem discarded; 1 to 2 fresh green serrano chiles, stems discarded, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds); 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

Braised Beet Salad with Golden Raisin Vinaigrette from 'Indian Cooking Unfolded might be just the side dish you are searching for. Watching your figure? This gluten free, whole 30, and vegan recipe has 391 calories, 7g of protein, and 15g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 4. This recipe covers 18% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe is typical of Indian cuisine. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 40 minutes. Head to the store and pick up golden raisin vinaigrette, salad greens, cumin seeds, and a few other things to make it today.

Instructions

Prepare the beets: Twist off the green tops of the beets. These look very similar to chard leaves and more likely than not will be gritty with sand and mud.

Ingredients you will need

Beet

Swiss Chard

Cut the tender ribs and leaves crosswise into thin slices and place them in a colander. Thoroughly rinse the beet tops to rid them of the gritty material.

Ingredients you will need

Beet

Ribs

Equipment you will use

Colander

Transfer them to a salad spinner and spin them dry.

Equipment you will use

Salad Spinner

Peel the beets and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Rinse the cubes as well in the colander (the gush of blood-red water gives you a clue to the power of the natural dye the vegetable has within its sugary sweetness). There’s no need to spin them dry.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable

Beet

Water

Equipment you will use

Colander

Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the oil appears to shimmer, add the mustard seeds, cover the pan, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds.

Ingredients you will need

Mustard Seeds

Popcorn

Seeds

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Frying Pan

Add the ginger and chiles and stir-fry until the ginger is lightly browned and the chiles are much more pungent, 1 to 2 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Chili Pepper

Ginger

Add the beet greens, the cubed beets, and salt and stir well to coat them with the mustard seeds. The liquid in the beet greens will start to pool at the bottom of the pan and boil instantly, loosening the stuck-on bits of ginger and chiles, effectively deglazing the pan and releasing those flavors into the beets. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes (the beets also will sweat, releasing some liquid, in which they will braise).

Ingredients you will need

Mustard Seeds

Beet Greens

Chili Pepper

Ginger

Beet

Salt

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot (when you hold your palm close to the bottom of the skillet you will feel the heat), usually after 2 to 4 minutes, add the cumin seeds and toast them, shaking the pan every few seconds, until they start to crackle, turn reddish-brown, and smell nutty, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately transfer the cumin seeds to a blender or they will start to burn in the hot skillet.

Ingredients you will need

Cumin Seeds

Toast

Equipment you will use

Blender

Frying Pan

Pour the oil and the vinegar into the blender along with the raisins, cilantro, ginger, and whole chile and blend them into a smooth puree that is light greenish brown and sweet, sour, pleasantly hot, and highly aromatic (trust me, you will stick a finger in it, taste it, and go wow!).

Ingredients you will need

Cilantro

Raisins

Vinegar

Ginger

Chili Pepper

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Blender

Place the mixed salad greens in a large bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Mixed Greens

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Pour the vinaigrette dressing over the salad greens and toss to coat; I use my hands (clean) to do this. Pile the dressed salad greens onto a platter, spoon the still-warm beets and greens over them, and serve.

Ingredients you will need

Vinaigrette

Greens

Beet

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

680grams

beets with their green tops 4servings

Braised Beets 59milliliters

canola oil 59milliliters

cider vinegar 59milliliters

firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems 1teaspoon

cumin seeds 3

(each about the size and thickness of a 25-cent coin) fresh ginger (no need to peel the skin)4servings

Golden Raisin Vinaigrette 118milliliters

golden raisins 227grams

mixed salad greens (like mesclun)1teaspoon

coarse kosher or sea salt 1

fresh green serrano chile, stem discarded 1

to 2 fresh green serrano chiles, stems discarded, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds)1teaspoon

black or yellow mustard seeds

Recommended wine: Gruener Veltliner, Riesling, Sparkling Rose

Gruener Veltliner, Riesling, and Sparkling rosé are great choices for Indian. The best wine for Indian food will depending on the dish, of course, but these picks can be served chilled and have some sweetness to complement the spiciness and complex flavors of a wide variety of traditional dishes. The Pratsch Organic Gruner Veltliner with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 13 dollars per bottle.