Beet Bhaja- A Winter Speciality

Who doesn’t love beet bhaja? It’s beetroot stir-fried. We Bengalis do, especially in winter, when the produce arrives fresh and deep red. Like the potato, beetroot was a foreign import but slowly became a local favourite. Beet bhaja is one of those pure vegetarian dishes that fits perfectly on vegetarian days. In Bengali cooking, onion and garlic turn a veg dish into a non-veg one. But I love garlic, and a little bit of it in this humble recipe makes the dish shine.

The many cuts of Bengali vegetables

In a Bengali kitchen, cutting vegetables is a craft. Every preparation demands a specific shape, and we even have names for each cut, just like the French. ‘Dumo dumo’ means cubed. ‘Chhoto dumo’ means diced. ‘Jhurjhure’ aloo bhaja uses thin potato juliennes that fry up crisp. ‘Phali phali’ refers to slits. Thin slices of onion are ‘jhiri jhiri’. Then there are long ‘lomba’ cuts for dishes like shukto, or ‘gol gol’ roundels for many vegetables. Prep takes time because we wash, cut, and arrange everything on a plate before cooking begins.

beet bhaja bengali veg recipe

beet bhaja

How beetroot came to Bengal

Beetroot didn’t grow in India in the form we know today. Wild sea beets did grow along the coasts, but the cultivated red beet arrived later with European traders. During the colonial period, the British introduced beetroot to Bengal and other regions. In the early 1800s, horticulturist William Carey helped Indian farmers adapt European winter vegetables like beet to local conditions (Reference). Slowly, farmers started planting it as a winter crop. Now, states like Haryana, Himachal, Maharashtra, and West Bengal grow beetroot widely. You’ll find it all year, but the winter crop tastes the best.

Culinary uses of beetroot in India

Beetroot travelled far from being an import to becoming a staple in Indian kitchens. In Bengal, it adds colour and sweetness to many dishes. The Kolkata vegetable chop uses beet for both flavour and colour. And beet bhaja remains one of our favourite winter sides. The stir-fry cooks fast, temper oil with nigella seeds and green chilies, sauté the beet strips, and finish when they soften. West and South India use beetroot generously too, in dishes like poriyal and thoran. In North India, you’ll find boiled beets in salads or in kanji, a fermented winter drink. Today, many chefs use beetroot powder as a natural colour. We even made cake pops recently with beetroot powder standing in for artificial red.

beet rooot bhaja

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