Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Sri Lankan

Sri Lankan beetroot curry

Vegetarian

Beetroot matchsticks simmered with mustard seed, curry leaves, cinnamon and coconut milk into a sweet-savoury, vivid magenta curry. A staple of Sri Lankan rice-and-curry spreads.

Sri Lankan beetroot curry is a Sri Lankan curry, ready in about 45 minutes and made with beetroot and coconut milk. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
234

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the coconut oil (opens in a new tab), add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and let them pop. Add the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), chillies, curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and fry until soft.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the beetroot (opens in a new tab), curry powder (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), cayenne, salt and water. Cover and simmer until the beetroot is tender, 15–20 minutes.

    • 18 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until creamy. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Sri Lanka · Commonly attributedMore food from Sri Lanka
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
sweet & savoury, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, earthy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · One-pot · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Beetroot · Coconut milk · Coconut oil · Mustard seeds · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds, curry powder
  • May contain: Celeryfrom curry powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

234 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 255 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 30%
  • Fat 64%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy234 kcal92 kcal
Protein3.8 g1.5 g
Carbohydrate18.4 g7.2 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat17.7 g6.9 g
Saturated fat15 g5.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium690 mg270 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
597 mg
Calcium
57 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
60 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
9 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
150 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lime juice.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wear gloves when cutting beetroot to avoid stained hands.

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the beetroot unevenly — thick pieces stay hard while thin ones go soft.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, parippu and gotu kola sambol.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently; add a splash of water if thick.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Beetroot, peeled and cut into matchsticks500 g
Used in step 2

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like