Ask any 10 diners to name their favourite vegetables, and chances are “beetroot” won’t be one of them.
Despite this root vegetable’s lack of recognition by the masses, chefs all over the globe are beginning to incorporate this superfood into more dishes. Health-conscious diners are taking note, and turning up for a taste of nutritious, beetroot-enhanced goodness.
Read on to discover common ways to cook beetroot, then learn ways you can whip up a tasty dish using this healthy ingredient.
Common methods of cooking beetroot
There are 2 primary ways of preparing beetroot: boiling and roasting. Each method opens up unique possibilities for dishes, so you’ll want to be proficient in both.
Boiling
- Get a pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice.
- Wash the whole beetroots, then boil them for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the beets from the boiling water and submerge them in ice cold water immediately.
- After drying them, you’ll find the skin easy to remove.
Roasting
- Similar to the boiling process, the first step involves washing the beetroots.
- Wrap each beet up in foil and roast them at 190°C for an hour. You can test if the beets are ready by piercing them with a fork or knife. It should pierce the skin easily.
- Once sufficiently cooked, leave the beets to cool, then you should be able to easily remove the skin.
Ideas for serving beetroot
There are many ways you can serve this beetroot to diners. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Beetroot salad
After roasting your beets then peeling and chopping them into nibble-sized portions, you can toss them into a salad with vegetables, nuts, fruits and – if you really want to spoil your diners – selections of soft cheeses! Garnish with pepper, olive oil and maybe even a pinch of salt.
Pickled beets
Beets are one of those ingredients that are so good, you can eat them on their own! Well, almost. While regular beets may not be tasty enough to warrant a solo spot in your menu, picked beets are a tasty appetiser or side dish. The secret to giving pickled beets that “pickled” taste? Apple cider vinegar and some sea salt.
Beetroot dip
While hummus may be a novelty in Singapore, it’s a staple in the Middle East and parts of Europe where it’s possibly as popular as cheese dips or even chilli sauce. If you already know how to make hummus, you can tweak your recipe by adding beetroot as one of the primary ingredients. This will turn your dip a bright purple, giving it a more interesting appearance and taste.
Want more ideas?
Experiment with other ways of incorporating beetroot into your main courses and appetisers. You could start with something as simple as just adding this ingredient into an existing dish, or go a little further by replacing an existing ingredient with beetroot.
You could even create an exciting new dish with beets as the star! The bold colour and texture of this healthy ingredient will give your dishes an added sense of newness and excitement.
Need some ideas to get started? Check out the Recipes section to get inspired!
