This warm, Indian style Golden Beet Carrot Slaw is delicious and incredibly healthy. Indian spices like cumin, mustard and fennel, and coconut and lime build complex layers of flavor in this easy, quick dish. Serve it with dal-rice or with burgers.
This Indian style Golden Beet Carrot Slaw is a recipe I put together in a hurry when we want a nutritious side to complete a simple Indian meal of dal and rice, or a summertime meal of veggie burgers.Most of the prep in this recipe happens in the food processor, although if you don't have one, you can certainly grate the beets and carrots by hand. Factor in another 5-10 minutes of cooking time, if that's the case.
This is a super versatile recipe. You can use just beets here, or just carrots, and any color of these veggies is fine. I prefer golden beets here to the red ones only because I like the distinct color contrast in the final dish. If you use red beets, you'd still have a delicious slaw, but the deep red of the beets would paint everything red.
The spice I use in this dish is a mix of five spices most often used in Bengali cooking, called paanch phoron. It's made of cumin, mustard, fenugreek, fennel and nigella seeds. The different textures and flavors of these five seeds offer a beautiful and complimentary contrast that's very pleasing to the tastebuds. You could just buy a paanch phoron mix from the Indian grocery, or mix up your own.
You might not think that kids would go for a mix of carrots and beets, but I can swear that my nine-year-old gobbled this up with his dal and rice. I also sometimes serve this as a side for burgers. If you try this Golden Beet Carrot Slaw, be sure to let me know!
More easy vegetable sides:
- Roasted Carrots with Za'atar
- Masala Potatoes
- Baked Plantain Fries
- 15-minute Shredded Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry
- Broccoli Stir-Fry
- Vegan Garlic Butter Beets
Golden Beet and Carrot Slaw, Indian Style
Ingredients
- 5 small golden beets, scrubbed clean and ends trimmed
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed clean and ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or any vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon paanch phoron (a mix of equal parts of mustard, cumin, fennel, nigella and fenugeek seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Juice of ½ lime (about 2 tsp)
- ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- Grate the beets and the carrots in a food processor or by hand. I use the blade with the largest holes.
- Heat the oil in a wok. Add the paanch phoron and wait until the mustard sputters.
- Add the shredded vegetables, a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Toss well to mix and continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the carrot and beets are cooked but not mushy, about 8 minutes.
- Add more salt if needed. Stir in the coconut shreds, lime juice and the coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature. This goes beautifully with dal and rice, but it's a nice side for burgers too.
SimantiD
I made this today because I didn't know what else to do with golden beets that I got in a grocery box. It is so simple but so good with dal and rice. I modified it a little bit, added more coconut (yum!), chopped green chillies for added heat and a pinch of sugar to balance everything out! Will make this again with the remaining beets 😀
Vaishali
Hi, so happy to hear you enjoyed it! I love you used more coconut and chilis. 🙂
Glynis
Hello Vaishali,
I made this salad but as I was putting it together I couldn't determine when to add the lime juice. I love the smell of these spice mix, paanch phoron. I also like how quickly this slaw can be pulled together, but I'm not sure when to add the lime juice. Can you please tell me when the lime juice should be add? Thank you.
Vaishali
Hi Glynis, that would be in step 4, with the coconut. Thanks for flagging, and added. So happy you made the slaw!