A quick, healthy and vibrant South Indian stir-fry dish, Potato Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti, can be prepared in a jiffy and served with rice! This is also a great onasadya recipe!
Mezhukkupuratti is a regular side dish for rice in Kerala – and probably the one I cook most often. This version of mezhukkupuratti is sooo basic that there can’t be a more effortless way to prepare the dish! It is perfect for university students who stay away from home and don’t have too many ingredients in their kitchens. The vibrant colours of potato, carrot and beetroot are sure to make it an eye-catching dish for the little ones as well!
Apart from the vegetables, you just need oil, salt and chilli flakes. I can imagine experts at Malayali cooking reading this and wondering “Whaaa?!! A mezhukkupuratti with no shallots / garlic / mustard?!” But trust me – you can make it this way too. It is a tried and tested recipe in my family. My Ammachi (maternal grandmom) prepared it this way, and so does my mom. Ammachi sometimes added coconut pieces (thengakothu) too.
The word ‘mezhukkupuratti’ literally means ‘coated in oil’. However, this variation does not need as much oil as it would otherwise. This is because no stir-frying of raw vegetables is involved – the vegetables are cooked halfway without any oil.
The first stage, that is, the precooking of vegetables can be done in microwave oven, pressure cooker or a normal frying pan or wok – the cooking time increasing in this order. We refer to this stage as ‘Uppil Patikkal’. My mom refrigerates the vegetables after uppil pattikal, then stir-fries them in oil right before our meal. I, on the other hand, finish off the whole process before popping it into the fridge. I just warm it up when it’s time for the meal!
This mezhukkuperatti is also a good prep-ahead recipe. Back in the days when my mom had to be in India for a few months to take care of my Ammachi, and only my dad and 9-year-old me were home in Kuwait, this was a regular item in our menu. Acha would precook the vegetables and I stir-fried them, all excited to be ‘cooking’! 🙂
You can follow this recipe using other vegetables too, such as okra (vendakka), long beans (achinga payar), ivy gourd (kovakka), etc. The only difference will be in the precooking time as these cook faster than root vegetables.
Don’t forget to rate the recipe if you have tried it!
More recipes from Kerala
- Mathanga Erisheri – Kerala Pumpkin Curry
- Achinga Payar Thoran / Long Bean and Coconut Sauté
- Beetroot Pachadi (Spiced Beetroot Yoghurt)
- Pineapple Pulissery (Seasoned Buttermilk with coconut)
- Instant Green Apple Pickle
- Naadan Beef Ularthiyathu / Kerala Style Beef Fry
- Semiya Payasam (Indian Vermicelli Pudding)
Potato Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti / Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Potatoes cut into thin long pieces
- 1 cup Carrots cut into thin long pieces
- 1 cup Beetroot cut into thin long pieces
- 1.5 tsp Salt adjust to taste
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes adjust to desired heat
- 1 tbsp Oil your choice
Instructions
- Mix the cut potato, carrot and beetroot with salt and chilli flakes.
Precooking vegetables: Microwave oven method
- Close and cook in microwave oven for 7 – 9 minutes or till the vegetables are tender but not fully cooked. (I took 7 mins on high power setting using 800W microwave oven.)
Precooking vegetables: Pressure cooker method
- Splash a palmful of water into the mixture and cook for 1 whistle.
- Switch off the flame and leave it to cook for 5 minutes before releasing the steam.
Precooking vegetables: Frying pan / wok method
- Cook closed for 5 minutes on low flame. During this time, the vegetables will release some water that is naturally in them.
- Remove the lid, add a palmful of water (if it is too dry).
- Stir well, close the pan/wok and continue cooking till tender. Keep stirring in between to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan / wok.
Stir Frying
- In a frying pan or wok, heat about 1 Tbsp oil. You may have to add more if your pan is not non-stick.
- When the oil is hot, add the precooked vegetables.
- Stir-fry on medium flame till fully cooked and dry. (I took around 8 minutes for this.)
Notes
- There is no need to add water if you use microwave oven for precooking the vegetables.
- If using a pressure cooker to use this recipe with vegetables other than root vegetables, release pressure immediately after switching the flame off – this will prevent them from turning mushy. Then, stir fry as in recipe.
This post was originally published on 19 Aug 2017 and updated on 29 Jun 2020.
All I feel is this can be a great finger food(without chilli) for our little daughters. Isn’t it so ?
Yup, I do make it that way for her. Either without the chilli or with a little bit of pepper. They can have it as snack or along with rice and yoghurt 🙂 Sort of like something the whole family can have.