Bisi Bela Bhat
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| Bisi Bela Bhat |
Bisi Bela Bhat is a very popular South Indian dish, especially in Karnataka.
The word Bisi means hot, bela is lentils and bhat is rice. Basically it is rice and dal cooked together with ample vegetables and ground spices, with a generous dollop of ghee.
Ingredients
For the bath
- 1 cup of rice
- 3/4 cup of tuvar dal
- 1 lemon sized tamarind
- Salt to taste
- A generous amount of ghee
- Jaggery- a tiny blob to add at the end
Vegetables
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| Vegetables- cut into small pieces |
The following vegetables can be included in this dish.
- 1 large onion (cut fine) or a handful of peeled shallots
- Carrots
- Beans
- Capsicum
- Peas
- Radish (mullangi) ..optional
- Cluster beans
- Cauliflower
- Drumsticks
Take a cupful of assorted vegetables depending on availability. All vegetables have to be cut evenly into small cubes. If using drumstick, cut into 2 inch pieces and cook separately. Remeber to add with the cooked vegetables in the bath.
Generally carrots, cauliflower, peas and beans are used to give colour to the dish.
For the ground paste
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| Bisi bela bhat powder ingredients |
- 3-4 red chillies -preferably byadgi
- 2 tbsp. coriander seeds-dhaniya
- 1 tsp. urad dal
- 1 tsp. chana dal
- 4-5 grains of fennel seeds-methi
- 1 inch cinnamon stick -lavanga pattai
- 2 cloves
- 1 small marathi moggu
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 small bit of asafoetida-hing
- 1 tbsp. grated coconut
- In a kadai roast the red chillies, urad dal and chana dal.
- Then add the coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves and marathi moggu.
- Separately roast methi seeds and hing and keep aside.
- Powder the the roasted mixture and keep aside.
- Grind the coconut along with the mixture and keep aside.
For the seasoning
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1 red chili broken into bits
- A few curry leaves
- Hing powder
Method of Preparation
- Wash the rice and tuvar dal together.
- Add 3 cups of water to the rice and a tsp. of salt to the mixture in the pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook the rice and dal together for 3 whistles.
- Soak the tamarind in warm water.
- Extract the juice.
- Mix 1 tsp. salt to the tamarind extract and keep aside.
- Take a pan and add a tbsp of ghee to it.
- Add the onions/shallots and saute.
- When golden brown add the other vegetables and saute for a few minutes.
- Add about 1 cup water and a pinch of turmeric (haldi) to the vegetables.
- Cook with the pan closed with a lid till the vegetables are more or less done.
- Heat the tamarind extract for a few minutes till a few bubbles appear.
- Add the cooked vegetables to the extract and let it cook and soak in the tanginess of the tamarind.
- Open the pressure cooker and mash the rice dal mixture well.
- Now add the rice dal mixture to the cooked vegetables and tamarind extract and stir well. Add a 1 cup of water to get the mixture to blend well.
- Add the ground paste and stir well.
- Switch the gas/induction off.
- Take a little ghee in a kadi.
- Add mustard seeds, red chillies, hing powder and curry leaves.
- Pour the seasoning on the bath.
- Add the lump of jaggery to the bisi bela bath and stir well.
- Serve with a generous dollop of ghee.
