Beets thuvayaal or thogayal. A south-indian style chutney with colorful beetroot, crunchy lentils and fresh coconut. A perfect condiment, paired with rice.
Thuvayal Recipe | Thogayal Recipe | Beetroot thogayal | Beetroot thuvayal with coconut | How to make beetroot thogayal | No onion No garlic thogayal

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Chutney & Thogayal
Thogayal or thuvayal is a South Indian lentil-based condiment, unlike chutneys traditionally served with idly/dosa, which may not contain lentils.
Growing up in a South Indian household, thogayal/thuvayal and rasam were a Saturday staple. Coriander thogayal with milagu rasam is a particularly cherished combination.
South-Indian lunch thali is incomplete without chutney/thogayal. We make chutney with almost all the veggies. Like beets, banana stump, raw plantain , carrots etc.
Not only vegetables, but also fresh greens and herbs can be made into chutney. Like this Brahmi leaves and Tulsi leaves chutney.
Why you should try this Beetroot Coconut thuvayal?
Not many prefer beetroot or beets for its earthiness and the sweetness. Take my kids for example, they don't prefer Beets curry much. A simple stir-fry of beets with coconut and chilies, which we call poriyal, but love this pinkish Beets rasam. Because they don't the veggie and the spices makes it delish.
If you are introducing a less preferred veggie at home, try the chutney way. This Beets thuvayal tastes best when served with steaming hot rice and sesame oil.
A bright and colorful condiment on your lunch table. The recipe is so versatile. The coconut mentioned in the recipe is optional. But i highly recommend it, as it brings creaminess to the thogayal. Add some crunchy seeds like sesame or pumpkin seeds and make it more nutritious.
This gorgeous beetroot thengai thogayal can be made ahead. If stored well, the thuvayal stays good for a week in the refrigerator. Rice mixed with thuvayal, and some appalam makes a comforting meal at the end of a long day.
This punchy beets coconut thuvayal, can also be served with wraps and rolls too. Just blend it yogurt and make it a creamy dip. At home, kids like to pair it with idly/dosa too.
How to Serve & Store
This gorgeous beets thogayal can be served with rice or also as a side with idly/dosa. Just adjust the consistency with water to serve with idly/dosa.
Make the chutney a little spicy and use it as a spread for your wraps and rolls. I would also blend it with little yogurt and make it a bit creamy to be used as a spread.
The beetroot and thengai thuvayal can be refrigerated in an air-tight container. It stays good for 2-3 days. The amount I mentioned above, lasts me for 3 days.
The Ingredients
- Main Ingredients : Beetroot, the hero of this thogayal recipe, .
- Spices, I have used black peppercorns and red chilies to spice the chutney. Peppercorns are optional, one can omit them.
- Coconut, freshly grated or frozen, do not skip coconut, they add flavor and also binds other flavors together.
- Dal, I have used chana dal and urad dal, they add volume to the chutney
- Add-ons : Sesame seeds and coriander seeds. Sesame seeds are good source of calcium and coriander seeds add a nice texture to the thogayal.
More Beets Inspiration
Step by Step Instructions to Make Beets Thogayal
- Wash, peel the beets, chop into 1 inch cubes. Cook it until soft. I have used the Microwave to cook.
- In a heavy bottom pan, add a teaspoon of oil, roast urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds and curry leaves.
- Next add hing sesame seeds, black peppercorns and roast until the dal turn golden brown.
- Just before switching off, add red chilies, coconut and curry leaves. Let this cool completely.
- Take all the ingredients together in a mixer, add tamarind, salt. Grind it to a coarse paste with less water.
- Transfer the thogayal to an air-tight container. Enjoy it with steaming hot rice.
Beetroot Thogayal | Beets Thuvayal | Chutney with Lentils
Equipment
- Pan to dry roast the ingredients
- Indian style mixie or any blender
Ingredients
- 2 small beetroots
- ¼ cup freshly grated coconut
- 3 tablespoon urad dal
- 1 tablespoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 4-5 red chilies i used long variety, adjust the chili according to taste
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns/milagu
- 10 grams tamarind size of small indian gooseberry
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon hing/asafoetida
- a strand of curry leaf
Instructions
- Wash, peel the beets, chop into 1 inch cubes. Take it in a microwave safe bowl, add water to immerse the beets. Microwave high for 8-10 minutes for the beets to cook.
- Remove for the microwave. There will be very less water left in the beets, strain the water and use it for cooking pulses or add it in rasam. I do the later, gives a nice color to the rasam. Keep the cooked beets aside until use.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan, add teaspoon of oil, roast urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds and curry leaves. Keep the flame medium and roast to avoid burning.
- Once the dal starts browning, add hing, white sesame seeds and black peppercorns to this and continue roasting
- Just before switching off, add red chilies, coconut and curry leaves. Let this cool completely.
- Take the roasted ingredients along with tamarind and salt in a mixer. Add cooked beets to this.
- Grind it to a fine/coarse chutney with 2-3 tablespoon of water. Do not add more water, it will become loose.
- Transfer the thogayal to a serving bowl and serve it along with steaming hot rice and gingely oil and pair it with any dry curry for a scrumptious meal.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
Srivalli
The colour looks amazing Priya..I am so glad you picked up a theme for this as well..makes it more interesting right..
Harini R
I am sure every vegetable can be converted to chutney and beetroot doesn't seem to be an exception 🙂
Pavani
Never made a chutney with beets -- that sounds delicious. Will have to try it out some time.
Seema Sriram
ooo, this is exciting. We loved the colour and the slight sweetness of the beets in this recipe. We had it with rice and rasam.