Beetroot Chutney/ Thogayal

This recipe is from my foodie friend, who is a great cook. She is not a food blogger and I have been asking her to start her own blog for  quite sometime now. This chutney recipe came up during our phone conversations and one day she said that she made beetroot chutney, with rassam, rice, and pappad for lunch.  This combination was new to me and I jotted it down and tried it soon. This chutney recipe is a keeper and my kind of comfort food especially on cold and rainy days. I served it brown rice, rasam, and omelet.

Ingredients:

To roast and grind into a fine powder:
1. Dried red chilies, 1-2.
2. Fenugreek seeds, less than 1/4 teaspoon.
3. Cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon.
4. Coriander powder, 1 tablespoon.

Other:
1. Beetroot, medium-size, 2, cleaned, peeled, and chopped finely.
2. Onion, medium size, 2, diced.
3. Garlic, 2 pods.
4. Tamarind, a small goose berry sized ball, or tamarind extract, 1/2 tablespoon.
5. Grated coconut, 1/2 cup.
6. Salt, as per taste.

Preparation:
Dry roast the ingredients in the "roast and grind section" into a fine powder and set aside. Meanwhile heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the diced onions, beetroot and garlic and sauté for 10-12 minutes under low flame under the beetroot is cooked. If needed, some water can be added to cook the beetroot. Once this is cooled, add the mixture into a blender along with the ground powder, tamarind, salt, and coconut and blend into a smooth paste with some water if needed. Add this mixture back into the pan along with a tablespoon of oil and cook under low flame for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency.