Take a heavy-bottomed pan and add the Indian-style sesame oil. Add in the chana dal, cumin seeds and dried red chillies. Adjust the chillies according to your taste. Saute on a low flame till the dal roasts and becomes golden. Remove the roasted lentil mixture to a plate. Set that aside. In the same pan, add a little more oil. Add in some roughly chopped garlic, a sprig of fresh curry leaves, and the chopped beetroot. I have chopped them today. You can also grate them and add. Keeping the cut pieces small helps cook the beets faster. Add in the salt and a small marble-sized piece of tamarind. Mix well so the oil coats the beetroot uniformly. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for about five minutes. The beetroots will be half-cooked at this stage. Half cooking the beetroot is enough for this recipe.

Add in a little asafoetida and the fresh shredded coconut. Cook for a minute. Our beetroot mixture is now ready.

Take a heavy-duty mixie or a blender and add the roasted and cooled lentil mixture. Add the beetroot mixture. At this stage add the paaledu – the milk cream. The paaledu makes the thogayal very rich and vibrant in taste. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding if necessary. The paste should be ground to a thick smooth texture. Set aside.

Now let’s make a simple tempering for the thogayal.
Add oil to a small Kadai. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the roasted and skinned peanuts to the pan and saute for a few seconds more. The roasted peanuts add a nice textural crunch to the thogayal.

Add the tempering on top of the thogayal. Our fantastic beetroot thogayal is now ready. Serve the thogayal with hot rice and enjoy.