Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo|Gujarati Root Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

This Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo is something you must absolutely try out!

‘Sambharo‘ is the Gujarati version of a stir-fry, or a warm salad of sorts. It can be prepared using a variety of vegetables – raw papaya, cabbage, carrot, beetroot and radish, for example. Quite a simple (but nutritious and delicious!) thing to make, the sambharo commonly makes an appearance as a part of the Gujarati thali, or is served alongside local snacks like fafda, thepla, khaman and dhokla.

This Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo is made using the root vegetables of carrot, radish and beetroot. I loved the bright red of the stir-fry and its gorgeous taste. It made for just the perfect accompaniment to the Mixed Vegetable Roti that I served it with.

The very simple stir-fry that this is, it takes bare minutes to put together. Very little oil goes into it, the veggies cooked just enough to retain their crunch. The carrot, radish and beetroot meld together beautifully to create a delicious whole. What more can you ask for from a dish? If you are looking for an easy-peasy, healthy and delish accompaniment for your meals this summer, this is it!

This Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo is a vegan, entirely plant-based, dish. Omit the asafoetida in the tempering, and it becomes a gluten-free food as well.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1. 1 big beetroot
2. 2 medium-sized carrots
3. 1 small radish
4. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
7. A pinch of fenugreek seeds
8. 3-4 green chillies
9. 2 pinches of asafoetida
10. Salt to taste
11. A dash of red chilli powder or to taste (optional)
12. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
13. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
14. Juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste

Method:

1. Peel the beetroot, carrot and radish. Grate them thick. Keep aside.

2. Slit the green chillies length-wise. Keep aside.

3. Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan till they start turning brown, about a minute. Transfer the roasted sesame to a plate and keep aside.

4. Heat oil in the same pan. Add in the mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Now, add the fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and slit green chillies. Let them stay in for a couple of seconds.

5. Add the grated beetroot, carrot and radish to the pan. Cook on medium flame for a minute.

6. Now, add salt to taste, turmeric powder and red chilli powder (if using). Mix well. Cook on medium flame for 1-2 minutes more or till the water from the radish dries up and all the ingredients are well incorporated together. Switch off gas.

7. Mix in the roasted sesame seeds, lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander. Your Gajar Mula Beet No Sambharo is ready. You can serve it hot or at room temperature, along with rotis or rice.

Notes:

1. Adjust the quantity of beetroot, radish and carrot you use, depending upon personal taste preferences.

2. You can let the grated radish rest for a while till it releases water, squeeze out the water and then use the radish in making the sambharo. I chose not to do that.

3. The original recipe suggests the use of seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and the likes) to garnish the stir-fry. I decided to use sesame seeds instead, and loved how beautifully they went with the sambharo.

4. If you think the heat from the green chillies is enough, you can skip the red chilli powder altogether.

5. You can add a dash of sugar or jaggery powder to the sambharo too. I chose not to – the sweetness of the beetroot was enough.

6. Cook the beetroot, carrot and radish till slightly crunchy. For best results, the vegetables should be cooked through, but still retain their crunch.

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This post is for the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap, a Facebook group that I am part of. Every month, a group of us food bloggers form pairs, and then each person proceeds to cook a dish from their partner’s blogs.

This month, I was paired with Jagruti of Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey. I was thrilled to find several classic Gujarati dishes on her blog, and chose this Gujarati Root Vegetable Stir Fry of hers to prepare.

Check out the recipes that the other members of the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap group have recreated: Blackberry Lime Cupcakes| Spicy Mint Quinoa| Jeera Rice| Easy Chicken Wraps| Bengali Dum Aloo| Andhra Tomato Pickle| Apple Date Chutney |Pesto Pasta Chaat|  Honey Toasted Sesame Paneer| Ghee Rice| Coconut Rava Ladoo |Gulab Jamun Cupcakes|  Carrot & Zucchini Noodle Salad

I’m sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #271. Ai @ Ai Made It For You is the co-host this week.