Beetroot Kurma is a healthy curry recipe made with the goodness of beetroot cooked together in an aromatic spicy kurma or korma masala made of coconut, cashews, and other spices in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stovetop.
Today, I am sharing my mom's recipe for Beetroot Kurma, which is a favorite for both my daughter and me. This beet coconut-based curry was prepared as a side dish for chapati, poori, or bili holige at my home while I was growing up.
I have made this recipe in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. Check out my other favorite korma recipes like mix veg kurma and restaurant style navratan korma made in Instant Pot.
If you like beetroots, then check out Indian Beetroot Recipes
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What is Kurma?
Kurma, alternatively known as “korma”, “khorma”, or “qorma”, is a dish originating from Central Asian culinary traditions. Kurma is a curry made using vegetables or meat along with yogurt, coconut, spices, and nut or seed paste. Based on the region, the ingredients used to make the kurma recipe are different.
Today, I have shown the South Indian kurma, using coconut and cashew nuts as the base.
Ingredients
- Beetroot: Washed, peeled, and chopped into small cubes.
- Onion & Tomato: finely chopped.
- Ginger and garlic: Use minced or homemade ginger paste and garlic paste.
- Dry Spices: red chili powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, garam masala powder.
- Lime juice: use fresh lime juice whenever possible or amchur powder (dry mango powder) for tartness.
- Grinding Ingredients: I used freshly grated coconut, cashews, cinnamon, fennel seeds (saunf), and water.
How to Make Beetroot Kurma in Instant Pot
Firstly, peel 2 small beetroots and cut them into small cubes. This should give you 2 cups of chopped beetroot.
Then, add the following ingredients to the blender:
- ¼ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
- 6-8 cashew nuts
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds), optional
- water for grinding
Grind to a smooth paste.
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add 1 cup of onion (finely chopped), and 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste. Saute until onions turn light brown.
Next, add ½ cup of chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn soft.
Then add in 2 cups of chopped beetroot, ½ tablespoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon jeera powder, ground coconut-cashew paste, salt, and mix well.
Next, add ½ cup water (or as needed) and give a quick stir.
Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
Remove the lid away from you, add 1 tablespoon lime juice, and garnish with 1 tablespoon coriander leaves. Mix well.
Easy beetroot curry with coconut is ready, serve hot with pooris, chapatis, roti and parathas.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps as above. Just cook the beetroot kurma on a stovetop pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles on medium flame. Rest all the steps remain the same.
What to Serve with Beetroot Korma?
Serve beetroot kurma with poori or even roti, chapati, paratha, or plain rice.
Storage Suggestions
- Store: Store your leftover beetroot kurma in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freeze: Curry freezes well. Store it in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw it for a few hours on the kitchen counter before serving.
- Reheat: You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on a stovetop pot on medium flame until they are warm throughout.
Expert Tips
- Finding it difficult to cut beetroot? then just peel and microwave the whole beet for 1 minute and cool down. This helps to cut beetroot very easily.
- For the thick gravy: You can add roasted Bengal gram/fried gram/putani while grinding instead of cashew nuts. It also helps to make the gravy thick. But I like adding cashews because it would give a nice creamy texture (and increase calories) and thickness to the Kurma.
- Spices: Adjust the garam masala powder quantity as per your liking. Traditionally, they use homemade sambar powder instead of garam masala powder in our home.
- Cooking Time: Adjust cooking time as per the setting of your pressure cooker and stove.
Variations
- Other Vegetables: You can replace beetroot with any vegetable of your choice, such as carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, and make vegetable kurma using the same method.
- Green Peas: You can also add ½ cup of fresh or frozen peas to make it more tasty and healthy.
- Poppy Seeds: Additionally, poppy seeds can be added while grinding with coconut.
- No Shredded Coconut: If you don't have grated/shredded coconut. You can also use ½ cup of full-fat thick coconut milk.
More Instant Pot Indian Curry Recipes
Beetroot Kurma | Beetroot Korma - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups beetroot chopped into small cubes
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup tomato finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon jeera powder (cumin powder)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro) chopped for garnish
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ cup water or as required
For Grinding
- ¼ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
- 6-8 cashewnuts
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds) optional
- water for grinding
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Peel the beetroot and cut it into small cubes.
- Then grind coconut, cashews, cinnamon to a smooth paste with very little water.
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil to the POT. Once the pot is hot add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and saute until onions turn light brown.
- Next, add chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn soft.
- Then add in the chopped beetroot, red chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, ground coconut-cashew paste, salt, and mix well.Next, add water and give a stir.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).
- Remove lid away from you, add lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Mix well.
- Beetroot Kurma is ready, serve with hot with pooris, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:
- Peel the beetroot and cut it into small cubes.
- Grind coconut, cashews, cinnamon to a smooth paste.
- Take a Pressure cooker. Add oil in to the POT.
- Once oil is hot add onions, ginger-garlic paste and saute until onions turn light brown.
- Next add chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn soft.
- Then add in the chopped beetroot, red chilli powder, garam masala powder ,coriander powder , jeera powder , ground coconut-cashew paste , salt and mix well.cook for 1-2 minutes.Then add water and give a stir.
- Close the lid place a whistle and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame.
- Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.
- Open lid and add lime juice and garnish with cilantro.Mix well.
- Beetroot Kurma is ready, serve with hot with pooris, chapatis, roti & parathas.
Notes
Tips to make the Best Beetroot Kurma
- Finding it difficult to cut beetroot? then just peel and microwave the whole beet for 1 minute and cool down. This helps to cut beetroot very easily.
- For the thick gravy: You can add roasted Bengal gram/fried gram/putani while grinding instead of cashew nuts. It also helps to make the gravy thick. But I like adding cashews because it would give a nice creamy texture (and increase calories) and thickness to the Kurma.
- Spices: Adjust the garam masala powder quantity as per your liking. Traditionally they use homemade sambar powder instead of garam masala powder in our home.
- Cooking Time: Adjust cooking time as per the setting of your pressure cooker and stove.
Variations
- Other Vegetables: You can replace beetroot with any vegetable of your choice such as carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, and make vegetable kurma using the same method.
- Green Peas: You can also add ½ cup of fresh or frozen peas to make it more tasty and healthy.
- Poppy Seeds: Additionally, poppy seeds can be added while grinding with coconut.
- No Shredded Coconut: If you don't have grated/shredded coconut. You can also use ½ cup of full-fat thick coconut milk.
Nutrition
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Nancy
Tasty, East and quick
Bhavana Patil
Hi Nancy, thank you so much
Nancy
Quick, easy, nice taste.
Anonymous
Turned out great,thanks for the recipe
bhavana
welcome