Note to self: Oh my…how I love chukandar…the savory beef and underlying subtle hint of sweetness from the beets and the spiciness from the seasonings used is so succulent and amazing, you’ll think you’ve gone to heaven. This is my all time favorite dishes in the world. (You can also leave out the beef and make it vegan!) I can’t have enough of it and I love making extra so I can have leftovers the next few days. If you’ve never had beets you’re missing out! Especially when made this way. There are SO many health benefits from beets, they’re chock full of nutrients like B vitamins, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, and potassium and can improve blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, increase stamina, improve you brain, liver and fighting chronic diseases, and for all those people suffering from constipation…these will totally help you get regular. AND! Best of all..The ingredient list is super short and simple so it’s really easy to make. Oh! And you use the whole beet!…Even the leaves! So you get the maximum benefit! If you try anything from this blog I would totally recommend this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3 Beets with leaves and stems
• 1 lb (~10 pieces) of beef with bones
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 cups of sliced onions
• 1 cup puréed tomatoes
• 1 packet of Lazeez Asian Cuisine Chukandar spice mix
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cups puréed tomatoes
• 3 cups of water
• ¼ cup oil

Directions:

1. Chop off the leafy tops and stems of the beets and chop into bite sized pieces.
2. Place the stems and leaves into a pot and soak and rinse.
3. Then take out the stems and leaves and place into a pressure cooker.
4. Rinse the beets and peel like a potato. (Make sure not to rinse after you peel it or else it’ll lose all the beautiful purple color)
5. Chop the beet in half and then slices and chop into bite sized chunks and place into a pressure cooker.
6. Add boneless beef into a pot of water and bring to a boil for 5 min until you see the fat accumulate on the top. skim fat and rinse beef.
7. In a large sauce pan add 1/4 cup of oil, 2 cups of sliced onions and caramelize on medium high heat.
8. Add 1 cup puréed tomatoes, and cook for ~5 min.
9. Add the tomato onion mixture into a blender and purée well. (Should equal about ~1 cup of tomato onion purée)
10. Put the tomato/onion purée into a sauce pan with beef, add 1/4 cup of oil and and 1 packet of Lazeez Asian Cuisine Chukandar spice mix, cook for 10 minutes
11. Add beef mixture into pressure cooker with the beets.
12. Add 1 tbsp puréed ginger, 1 tbsp minced garlic.
13. Add 1 cup puréed tomatoes and 3 cups of water.
14. Place pressure cooker on medium high heat.
15. Put the pressure cooker on top, and once starts dancing put timer on for 20 minutes.
16. Turn off heat, let all the pressure out and once the pin has gone down, take off the knob and safely open the top.
17. Make sure the meat is tender.
18. Cook on medium high heat until most of the water is evaporated. (Let it remain a bit wet or else it’ll be too dry)
19. Enjoy hot with naan or white rice!

Serving size: 4-5 people