Some recipes don’t come from cookbooks — they come from a small table, a steel plate, and a meal you didn’t know would stay with you forever.
When I first moved to Bangalore, still finding my footing in a new city, lunch became a little ritual of discovery. Just outside the office was a modest little place — a home that had quietly turned itself into a food joint, welcoming hungry strangers like family. No menu boards, no fancy plating. Just a simple thali that changed every day, served with warmth that made the miles from home feel a little shorter.
And then came the beetroot.
Moving from North India, beetroot in that world had one job — raita, or maybe lending its gorgeous colour to poori dough on special occasions. It was never the star. But here, tucked into that humble thali as a palya, it stopped me mid-bite. Earthy, spiced, paired with the nuttiness of black chana — it was simple, honest food that somehow hit differently. That one dish quietly rewrote everything I thought I knew about beetroot.
I went back often. More for that palya than I’d like to admit.
A few days ago, I found myself in that same neighbourhood. I walked up, half-expecting the familiar smell of a home-cooked lunch — only to find it had become a PG. The little food joint was gone.
There’s a particular kind of sadness in that, isn’t there? When a place that fed you — not just food, but comfort — disappears without warning.
But flavours have a way of living on. Over the years, I picked up bits of this recipe from friends at work, adjusted the spices, tweaked the proportions, made it ours and the best part – No Onion No Garlic. And now, this Beetroot & Black Chana Palya has become a quiet staple in my kitchen — a small tribute to a little joint in Bangalore that deserved a lot more than it got.
I hope it finds a place on your table too.
Preparation Time – 15 minutes. Cooking time – 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Black Chana overnight soaked & boiled – 1 cup
- Beetroot chopped – 2 medium or 1 big
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
Ingredients for Masala to be grinded
- Fresh coconut – 3/4 cup
- Whole Red Kasmiri Chilly – 2
- Jeera(Cumin) – 1/2 tsp
- Rai(Black Mustard) – 1 tsp
- Tamarind – Small piece
- Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Ingredients for Tempering
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Rai (Black Mustard) – 1/2 tsp
- Urad Dal – 1 tsp
- Chana Dal – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – Few
- Hing(asofetida) – A pinch
- Salt as per taste
Method
- Boil chana with salt till done in cooker. I did it for one whistle and then 15 minutes on low flame
- Once the pressure is released from the cooker, add the chopped beetroot to it, cover and set aside
- Grind the masala ingredients without water. It should be coarse
- Heat the oil in kadai/pan. Add the tempering ingredients and fry for one minute
- add the masala and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Add the beetroot and chana to the kadai and cook till beetroot becomes soft
- Adjust salt
- Serve with roti/chapaati or rice and daal
Notes
- You can add jaggery in the end
My Medley Rasoi 