Recipe of Month

Valentine Day Special Recipe by Dr. Chef Sangeeta Dhar

Valentine Day Special Recipe by Dr. Chef Sangeeta Dhar
Happy Valentine day to all!
Make 2021 Valentine a very special for someone special in your life as i did. Very special to me as this recipe make my valentine go crazy with lip-smacking bright peppy pink colour of beetroot flavoured hummus, when served with pinky pita pockets to add some savoury zing to my evening celebration.



Dr.Chef Sangeeta Dhar (Associate Professor)
Pacific Institute of Hotel Management
Pacific University, Udaipur, Rajasthan

Beetroot Hummus Recipe


Ingredients of Beetroot Hummus
  • 1cup Chickpeas, soaked and boiled
  • 1 beetroot, boiled, peeled
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup of olive oil, additional for topping
  • 1 tsp of roasted sesame seeds paste
  • 1 tsp of roasted cumin powder
  • 2 Tbsp of lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Little water for smooth grinding

Homemade Beetroot Hummus

  • Boil beetroot, till 2 whistle for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker. Let it cool down. Peel, and cut into smaller pieces.
  • In a pan, roast the sesame seeds until it oozes the aroma. Allow to cool and then ground into a powder.
  • In a food processer or blender, mix chickpeas and garlic, beetroot, sesame powder, oil, cumin powder and salt. Pulse until smooth. You can add a little water, if you find the mixture a little dry. Blend until smooth.
  • Transfer to a bowl, and add the lemon julice. Mix well and check seasoning. Finish with a drizzle of oil , roasted cumin, paprika powder and fresh coriander leaves(optional) on top.
  • Enjoy with pita breads.

Whole Wheat Beetroot Pita Pockets Bread

Serves: 15-20 (Baby Size), Prep Time: 20 Minutes, Cooking Time: 8-10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • Beetroot puree of 1 beet- 200 g
  • Whole wheat flour (Atta)- 500 g
  • Luke warm Water to knead dough- as required approx. 100ml
  • Dry Instant yeast - 1 tsp
  • Sugar 1 tsp
  • Salt - 1 tsp
  • Any unflavoured oil / olive 50 ml - ¼ cup

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a bowl place the luke warm water, sugar and dry yeast. Dissolve, cover and leave to bubble up at warm place for 10 minutes
  • In a bowl add whole wheat flour, make a well in the flour, add the dissolved dry yeast mixture, beet puree, oil and little salt. Mix everything well and knead a dough slowly by adding warm water as required, until get a smooth dough.
  • Keep the dough for rest for ½ an hour covered, leave to rise until double in volume.
  • Divide the risen dough into equal size to make small ball and sprinkle the dough ball with flour if necessary, press with fingers slowly by giving the flatten shape.
  • With a rolling pin, roll out dough into round shapes to required size and thickness, with an approximate 3 inch diameter.(same like chapatti)

First Method :

  • Bake pita rotis at very high temperature in preheated oven at 200 ° C, for 5 minutes or until bread puffs. Remove from the oven and cover with a kitchen towel. Then stack the breads to retain their moisture.

Second Method : Home style

  • Heat a dry, non-stick frying pan or iron tawa, until very hot.
  • Add pitta roti to the pan and cook until it puff up , flip and cook the other side for about a minute until it puffs up and slightly browns.
  • Keep pitta in a warm oven or wrap in kitchen towel while you cook the rest.
  • Enjoy Beetroot lovely pocket pits with Beetroot Hummus and salad of your choice.