Mutton or Chicken with Beetroot

Ingredients

• 1 pound Mutton or Chicken (cut into pieces) (Use tender meat with some fat for best results.)
• 1 pound Beetroot (tender) (Originally '1 seer'.)
• 1/2 cup Ghee (Originally '1 to 1.5 pasher'. Can substitute with oil or butter.)
• 1/2 pound Onions (finely sliced) (Originally '0.5 seer'. Approx 2 large onions.)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger paste (Originally '0.5 tola' ginger.)
• 1 teaspoon Garlic paste (Originally '0.5 tola' garlic.)
• 1 tablespoon Salt (Originally '1.5 tola' (1 tola for meat + 0.5 tola for vegetable). Adjust to taste.)
• 2 1/2 cups Water (Originally '1.25 seer' (approx 2.5 pints/cups).)

Instructions

1. 1Boil the beetroot until tender. Once cooked, peel off the skin by hand. Slice the beetroot into rounds approximately 1/4 inch thick. Set aside.
2. 2Clean the meat or chicken and cut into desired pieces. Wash twice with cold water. Peel and crush the ginger and garlic into a paste. Peel the onions and slice them finely.
3. 3Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the sliced onions and stir constantly to ensure even browning. When the onions turn red, add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry until fragrant and reddish in color.
4. 4Add the meat (or chicken) and salt to the pan. Stir well to coat with the onion mixture. Cover with a lid. After a short while, uncover and stir again, bringing the bottom contents to the top. Continue cooking until the liquid released by the meat dries up and the meat begins to sizzle.
5. 5Pour in the water, cover the pan, and cook over low heat. Allow the meat to cook until it is about half-done.
6. 6When the meat is softening, add the prepared beetroot slices. Mix gently. Place the pot on low heat (originally 'embers') and simmer until both the meat and beetroot are fully tender and the water has evaporated, leaving the dish coated in ghee (oil separates). Serve hot.