Beetroot Mathri

Beetroot was never the star of an Indian kitchen. It sat quietly in the vegetable basket, went into a sabzi or a paratha, and stained everything it touched a deep, cheerful red. Putting it into a mathri is the kind of thing a grandmother would try on a slow afternoon, just to see what happened.

Ours is made the long way. Boiled beetroot puree is kneaded straight into the atta with desi ghee, then spiced with ajwain, kasoori methi, chaat masala and a little kalonji. Each one is rolled, pricked, and cooked in groundnut oil until it turns crisp. The colour is the beetroot’s own.

No maida. No palm oil. No preservatives. Just atta, beetroot, and the spices you would have found in your own kitchen. Keep it in the tin it arrives in, and open it when the chai is poured.