Karnataka-style Bisi Bele Bath Recipe
Bise Bele Bhath translates to “Hot Dal Rice.” This popular Indian dish features daal, rice, and vegetables blended like porridge and served with boondi (deep-fried chickpea flour). It’s Indian soul food at its best.
Bise Bele Bhath is usually seasoned with freshly ground spices and is a common breakfast or lunch dish across the southern peninsular. It has an innate sweet and savory taste owing to the addition of cane sugar in the dish.
Check out the recipe below.
Karnataka-style Bisi Bele Bath
Ingredients
FOR PRESSURE COOKING DAL-RICE:
- 3/4 cup Sona masoori rice or any short grain rice (if not available you can use Basmati rice too)
- 1 tbsp Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Peanuts
- 1 1/2 cup Water for cooking rice
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp Arhar dal toor dal or split pigeon peas
- 1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tbsp Oil
- 1 cup Water for cooking dal
FOR BISI BELE BATH RECIPE:
- 1 tbsp Tamarind
- 1/2 cup Hot water to dissolve tamarind
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1/2 cup Red onion chopped ( or 4-5 shallots)
- 1/2 cup Tomato chopped
- 1/2 cup Carrot chopped
- 1/2 cup Green pees
- 1/2 cup Potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup Green Beans French beans chopped
- 2 cups Vegetables aprox
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups Water
- 2 tbsp Jaggery Gur
- 2 1/2 tbsp Bisi bele bath powder
FOR TEMPERING OR TADKA:
- 1 tbsp Ghee clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 6-7 Cashew nuts
- 2 Dried red chilies
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon Hing Asafoetida
Instructions
Prepping and Cooking Dal-Rice:
- Rinse the dal and rice separately. Soak for 20 minutes and rinse again to remove the remaining the starch and dust.
- In the meantime, chop the vegetables into even-sided cubes.
- Soak the tamarind in hot water for 20-30minutes, then squeeze the tamarind in a strainer to extract the pulp.
- Drain the dal and rice.
- Boil the rice along with the peanuts and 1 ½ cups of water in the pressure cooker until the rice is almost mushy. Remove and reserve.
- In the same cooker, put the dal, turmeric powder, oil, and 1 cup of water and boil till it is mushy.
- Cook the rice and dhal each for 3-4 whistles, allowing the pressure to reduce gradually once off the stove.
- Whisk the dal till smooth using a hand-held blender or a wooden mallet.
How to Make Bisi Bele Bath:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook till they sweat and become soft and translucent.
- Then add the rest of the veggies and salt. Mix and sauté for 3-4 minutes, coating them all with salt and oil.
- Add water, cover, and cook till the veggies are soft and tender.
- Mix in the jaggery followed by Bisi Bele bath powder, and tamarind water and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the boiled dal and rice and mix. Adjust the consistency by adding water.
- Let it cook for 4-5 minutes till the veggies have blended with the rice and dhal mix.
How to Make the Tempering:
- Heat the ghee in a small tadka pan or frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Add the cashew nuts and dried red chilis and sauté till the cashews are light brown in color.
- Then add curry leaves followed by the crushed hing.
- Immediately add this tempering to the dal-rice mixture, stir and serve hot.
Notes
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