Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi Bele Bath or Bisi (hot) Bele (dal) Huli (tamarind) Anna (rice) is a quintessial Karnataka dish made of, as the name suggests, rice and dal. This is a to-go dish in my household because all I need is one cooker (and may be another small saucepan if you will).

Let's get on with the recipe:

For the BBB masala

1. Byadgi Red Chilli - 12
2. Guntur Red Chilli - 4
3. Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp
4. Channa Dal - 1.5 tsp
5. Urad Dal - 1 tsp
6. Marathi Moggu - 3
7. Cloves - 2
8. Cinnamon - 1"
9. Mace - 1/2"
10. Green cardamom - 2
11. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
12. Poppy Seeds - 1/4 tsp
13. Coconut / Kopra - 2 tbsp

Method:

Dry roast ingredients 1-10. Keep aside

Dry roast ingredients 11-12. Keep aside

Dry roast ingredient 13. Let cool and grind everything to a fine powder. You can store this in the freezer and it remains fresh for months. Feel free to double / triple the quantity. 

Bisi bele bath (Serves 3)

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1/2 cup
2. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
3. Tamarind - a gooseberry sized ball, soaked and extracted (or if you are lazy like me, use 1 tsp of store bought paste)
4. Mix veggies - as much as you want. Use a combination of capsicum, beans, carrot, peas, turnip, chow chow and any other you find in the fridge. Avoid onion and potato as they over take the flavours. 
5. Tomatoes - 1 chopped
6. BBB powder - 3 tbsp (add more or less as you see fit)
7. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
9. Salt - per taste
10. Peanuts (and or cashews)- half a handful 
11. Curry Leaves - 1-2 sticks
12. Ghee - Plenty

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice and dal for about 30-45 minutes
2. In a pressure cooker (I use a 3 ltr cooker), add ghee. Add peanuts, cashews and curry leaves. After they are toasted well, keep aside. 
3. Add a bit more ghee, saute all the vegetables for a few minutes, until they glisten
4. Add turmeric powder, salt and tomatoes. Mix well for a few minutes. 
5. Add the rice and dal. 
6. Add 3-4 times the water. 
7. Add tamarind paste, BBB powder and sambar powder. 
8. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles (or more depending on the quality of rice and dal).
9. Let the pressure settle, top it with the roasted nuts and add a bit more ghee. 
10. Serve hot with boondi, raita, potato fry, papad and anything else that may catch your fancy. 

Bon Appetit.