Braised Beet Salad with Golden Raisin Vinaigrette from 'Indian Cooking Unfolded

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds beets with their green tops
• 4 servings beets 
• 0.3 cup canola oil 
• 0.3 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 0.3 cup cilantro leaves fresh packed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• 3 pieces ginger fresh (each the size and thickness of a 25-cent coin) (no need to peel the skin)
• 4 servings golden raisins 
• 0.5 cup golden raisins 
• 8 ounces the salad mixed (like mesclun)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1  serrano chiles fresh green
• 1  serrano chiles fresh green finely chopped (do not remove the seeds)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds black yellow

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• blender
• salad spinner
• colander

Directions

1. Prepare the beets: Twist off the green tops of the beets. These look very similar to chard leaves and more likely than not will be gritty with sand and mud.
2. Cut the tender ribs and leaves crosswise into thin slices and place them in a colander. Thoroughly rinse the beet tops to rid them of the gritty material.
3. Transfer them to a salad spinner and spin them dry.
4. Peel the beets and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Rinse the cubes as well in the colander (the gush of blood-red water gives you a clue to the power of the natural dye the vegetable has within its sugary sweetness). There’s no need to spin them dry.
5. Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the oil appears to shimmer, add the mustard seeds, cover the pan, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds.
6. Add the ginger and chiles and stir-fry until the ginger is lightly browned and the chiles are much more pungent, 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Add the beet greens, the cubed beets, and salt and stir well to coat them with the mustard seeds. The liquid in the beet greens will start to pool at the bottom of the pan and boil instantly, loosening the stuck-on bits of ginger and chiles, effectively deglazing the pan and releasing those flavors into the beets. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes (the beets also will sweat, releasing some liquid, in which they will braise).
8. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot (when you hold your palm close to the bottom of the skillet you will feel the heat), usually after 2 to 4 minutes, add the cumin seeds and toast them, shaking the pan every few seconds, until they start to crackle, turn reddish-brown, and smell nutty, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately transfer the cumin seeds to a blender or they will start to burn in the hot skillet.
9. Pour the oil and the vinegar into the blender along with the raisins, cilantro, ginger, and whole chile and blend them into a smooth puree that is light greenish brown and sweet, sour, pleasantly hot, and highly aromatic (trust me, you will stick a finger in it, taste it, and go wow!).
10. Place the mixed salad greens in a large bowl.
11. Pour the vinaigrette dressing over the salad greens and toss to coat; I use my hands (clean) to do this. Pile the dressed salad greens onto a platter, spoon the still-warm beets and greens over them, and serve.