Are the tops of Beets Edible? Until recently I did not know that beet greens were edible. During her last visit here my mother-in-law only mentioned it and cooked it for us. I don't know why I hadn't googled earlier to find more about these greens. Better late than never, right?
I found out that Beet greens contain a large amount of vitamins A and K and anti-oxidants Beta Carotene and Lutein. For more detailed information about the nutrient value click here.
My mother-in-law mentioned that the stems are not edible, so she used only the leaves. But later I searched in the net and found that the stems are edible, healthy and tasty too. Check it out here.
This Beet Greens Kootu is like preparing any other greens/vegetable kootu. It's very simple to prepare and goes well with both rice and chapatis.
Recipe
Beet Greens Daal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Small Bunch Beet Greens
- ¼ Cup Moong Daal/Toor Daal
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- A Pinch Hing
- As Per Taste Salt
For Griding:
- 4 Tablespoons Coconut
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin
- ½ Red Chilli
- ½ (Or As Per Taste) Green Chilli
- 2-3 Teaspoons Or As Necessary Milk/Water
For Tempering:
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Channa Daal
- 1 Teaspoon Urad Daal
- As Needed Curry Leaves (Optional)
Instructions
- Simply tear the leaves and rinse it thoroughly. We did not use the stems this time, because we did not know that it was edible.
- The daal and greens can be either pressure cooked together adding enough water for 1 whistle or it can be cooked in a vessel directly on stove top itself, if you are using moong daal. In case you choose to go with the latter method, first add the daal, turmeric powder, hing and enough water in a vessel and don't close it with a lid. If you close the vessel with the lid, the water will start overflowing while boiling and you will have to spend the next 5 minutes cleaning the range. Once the daal is half cooked add the cleaned greens and cook it tender adding water as required. Once both the daal and greens are cooked add enough salt.
- While the daal and greens are cooking add all the ingredients mentioned for grinding in a blender and grind it to a fine paste using milk/water.
- Add this paste to the cooked greens and let it boil for another couple of minutes, while you prepare the tadka.
- In a small frying pan add oil and after it heats add the remaining ingredients and fry until the daals turn golden brown and add it to the greens and remove it from heat.
My Notes
- I have mentioned to grind the ingredients with milk because, while cooking any greens adding a very small quantity of milk will enhance the flavor of the greens. This is my mother's tip. So you can either grind using milk or first grind it with water and after adding the paste to the cooked greens add some milk and let it boil for another 3-4 minutes.
- Another tip, while grinding for any kootu/daal using a combination of red chillies and green chilies gives a better taste than using either one of them alone.
- Find some more beet greens recipes here.
Browse My Other Beet Greens Recipes
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Mason says
Of course beet tops are edible. They are closely related to Swiss Chard (just compare pictures of the leaves) which is highly nutritious. Sometimes Swiss Chard is "deboned," prepared without the stems and thick ribs that your beet leaves have in the picture above. Of course, the ribs and stems are edible too, as you point out.
Nabeela says
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I'm making it right now.....and it smells amazing 🙂
You're welcome Nabeela.
Shobana says
Hey Madhu- Great Idea, I tried beet greens and it was a super hit with my in-laws.
Thanks for trying it Shobi.
Jasmin says
After buying beets, i was looking for a way to not to throw away those beautiful leaves. And Google lead me to this recipe! I just prepared it (ore something based on your recipe) and ate it. It was wonderful! While eating i remembered that mom just to make me this vegetable dish when i was a child. I just called her to apologize that i didn't ask her, but instead looked for a recipe on the internet. 😉 But anyway: Thank you!
You're welcome Jasmin. The same method can be used to prepare all greens.
Ranjani says
Hi Madhu,
I was reading some of the recipes where you mention that you substitute coconut with grated carrot. I use grated carrot only for kosumalli or any vegetable curry that may require sprinkling of grated coconut finally. For aviyal, koottus, etc, try using walnuts instead, where they taste excellent. People with heart disease are usually advised a diet rich in walnuts. They are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Just make sure that you do not toast them before using.
Thanks for the tip Ranjani. I will try walnuts instead of coconut the next time.
Deepa says
Madhu, WHat is coconut milk powder?
Thanks.
It's coconut milk in powder form Deepa. You can get it in Indian grocery stores. I have used Maggi brand.
Dibs says
I read your latest post and then came here for the carrot tip! Amazing that carrot can replace coconut! I am surely going to try it - as many times I find coconut quite heavy.
PG says
Madhuram , do you mind, if i link to your post at Healthy and Tasty ? here is the post I'm talking about:
Calcium rich non-dairy products
Paakapriya says
Amazing recipe!
I used to always throw away the beet greens.
Not anymore! Thanks for the tips on milk and
substituting coconut with carrots !
Madhuram says
Give it a try Rupa, it tasted so good.
rupa says
even I didn't know it until I read this...will try it out for sure.. lovely 🙂
Madhuram says
Thanks for the tip Roma. I have also heard that adding little sugar and not closing the lid while cooking greens would help to retain the color. While grinding, instead of coconut, adding coconut milk powder will also give a wonderful taste. I've tried that one too.
Try it Smitha. It tasted like spinach kootu only.
Bavani says
Thanks for dropping by 🙂 and thanks a million for sending me that new site to check out. Having come ALL THE WAY here from Singapore, I do get homesick at times, and there's nothing like watching something familiar to feel good 🙂 I will definitely check it out - are there any sites where tamil movies can be watched for free?
Smitha says
It never occured to me that we can use the beet greens. Will defenitely try this recipe next time I buy beets.
Roma says
Madhu, Great Tips! Really worth memorizing.
About cooking greens , my friends in the neighborhood said that a pinch of soda makes the color of greens very bright. Thats why in restaurants we find their greens standing out of the dal.
If we feel that soda is unhealthy to use we can add a fruit salt (like ENO) that serves the same purpose and is good for digestion too. Ohh! I need something like that given the amount I eat 🙂
Madhuram says
Cham, noted your tip about cooking the stems first. Will do it the next time.
Dhivya Sharma, I was also throwing it away earlier. Not any more.
Thanks Uma, Arundathi, Laksh, Asha, Vaishali, Spillay and Anjali D.
Vaishali this daal was especially nice with hot chapathis and paruppu saadam with ghee.
Welcome to my blog Asha.
Anjali Damerla says
Yummy, healthy and easy. That's how I like it 🙂
I did not know about adding milk to greens. Will try it next time.
Spillay says
Looks very tasty. Never cooked this vege before - but I see it all the time. Now, I am motivated to give it a go 😆
Vaishali says
Delicious-looking dal, Madhuram. I've cooked beet greens before, but never with dal. I also like your tip about using both red and green chilies- I usually use one or the other, but I'll try it your way the next time.
Asha says
I love Beet greens, never throw them away. They are healthy and yummy. Dal looks delcious!:)
Laksh says
Looks yummy! The milk tip sounds nice. Will try and let you know.
Arundathi says
i've used beet greens a lot and love them. they taste great in sambar too. thats a great tip about the milk - thanks!
Uma says
I love this greens dal. I try dals with all the greens avaible in the market, ha ha ha! Your dal looks so delicious, Madhu!
Divya Sharma says
Oh I shouldn'nt have thrown the greens yesterday 🙁 Anywyas next time gonna use it ..Thanks for sharing the lovely recipe .
Cham says
I made last week like "keerai porial" it taste yummy 🙂 and i used even the stem part without wasting any! Need to cook first stem and add the leaves later. Looks tasty your curry Madhu.
Madhuram says
I love this type of kootu very much SS. It's my favorite too.
Thanks Kamala for sending me the arusuvai ingredient. Actually I was going to send a mail today enquiring the same. Reg. the greens, swiss chard belongs to the beet family. What I have used is the greens you can find in the beet root itself. Try it out the next time you buy beet root, it's very tasty. It's best to use the leaves immediately after purchase. Just cut off the tops of the beet root and use the greens and you can store the beets in the fridge as usual.
kamala says
Is this Swiss chard Madhu?I too found this green after seeing Suganya of Tastypalletes.Love it very much.By the way i have sent out the arusuvai ingredient
SS says
This is right down my alley , sort of a comfort food for me:)