South Indian Foods

Bisibele Bhath

Method 1

Bisibele Bhath

Cuisine Style: Karnataka, Cooking Time: 30 minutes, To Serve: 4, Take with: Picke/Pappadam, Type: Breakfast/Lunch/ Dinner

‘BISI BELE BHATH’ literally means ‘hot rice and daal mix’. Obviously it’s delicious when it is consumed hot, as the flavour and aroma is lost when it cools down or if it is reheated. It is a very wholesome food and can be consumed without any side dishes. Hence it deserves all the attention it gets during its preparation. You can really make a mess of it if you are careless while preparing it. So read on…

Ingredients

  • Rice-2 cups (uncooked)
  • Toor Dal-1/2 cup (uncooked)
  • Mixed Vegetables cut into pieces(Potatoes, Brinjal and beans)-1 cup
  • Onion Small- 20 nos
  • Coriander Seeds-1 tbs
  • Red Chillies-5 nos
  • Asafoetida-1 tsp
  • Urad Dal-1 tsp
  • Cinnamon-1/2 inch
  • Cloves-3 to 4
  • Mustard Seeds-2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1 tsp
  • Tamarind Extract- 2 tbs
  • Curry leaves-1 spring
  • Oil
  • Kara Poonthi(Optional)

Preparation

  • Fry 3 to 4 Onions, Coriander Seeds, Red Chillies, Cinnamon, Cloves and grind to fine paste and keep it aside.
  • Heat oil put asafoetida, turmeric powder.
  • Put Onions, mixed vegetables and fry 2 to 3 minutes and keep it aside.
  • Take 8 cups of water in presure cooker.
  • Pour little gingley oil or ghee and tamarind extract. (This avoids sticky inside the cooker and gives good flavor)
  • Then pressure cook fried onions, mixed vegetables, ground paste, rice and dal together. (Dont forget to add salt)
  • After 5 to 6 whistle remove from flame.
  • Open the lid after 30 minutes.
  • In a pan heat oil and season with mustard seed, urad dal and curry leaves.
  • Mix the seasoning with cooked Bisibele Bhath.
  • Spirnke kara poonthi over Bisibele Bhath while you serve.

Note

  • Dont add tomatos.

Tip

  • You can add 1 tbs of sugar or Jaggery.

How this Bisibele Bhath recipe is Unique?

  • Sambar or ready made Bisibele Bhath is not used here.

I like it I dont like it

Method 2 (By Shivshankar, shiv_sn@yahoo.com)

Ingredients

  • Locally available good quality rice - 250 grams
  • Tur daa - 200 grams
  • Vegetables -potatoes, fresh beans, cauliflower, carrots,(diced in convenient sizes and a mix as per your choice), green peas About 250 grams together
  • Cooking oil ( refined) -6 tablespoons
  • Pure ghee -6 tablespoons
  • Tamarind pul - about the size of a lemon
  • Black small mustard seeds -One teaspoon
  • Kadi patta/ curry leaves - about 20 leaves
  • Turmeric powder - ¼ tablespoon
  • Potato wafers - chips

For Masala

  • Udad daal - 2 table spoons
  • Chana daal - 2 tablespoons
  • Dry coconut powder - 2 tablespoons
  • Dry chillies hot variety - 6 long ones(If you like the dish coloured, use 4 ‘byadgi’ chillies or kashmiri chillis and 4 hot chillies)
  • Asafoetida powder - half teaspoon
  • Dal chini/ cinnamon - 3 inch long
  • Marathi Moggu/ maretti moggu - 6 numbers (very essential for the dish)
  • Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons (do not use powder)
  • Salt to taste

Preparation

  • Use a five liter capacity pressure cooker as the dish is likely to fill it at the end of the
    preparation.
  • Wash the rice, add a half a spoonful salt and 6 teacups of water and pressure cook. until
    the second whistle on high heat, remove from fire and let it cool. De-steam pressure
    cooker after 5 minutes and empty the contents to another vessel. Repeat the same process
    for the Tur daal also and keep aside separately. Next, boil the vegetables with some salt
    and turmeric powder in the same pressure cooker and remove after the first whistle ( if
    you are using cauliflower, it is better to boil them separately and not pressure cook, as it
    may get mashed)..
  • Roast udad daal and chana daal separately in a kadai (pan) with a drop of oil until they
    are brown. Similarly roast coriander, dry chillies, cinnamon and moggu individually.
    Powder the roasted cinnamon and moggu separately in a grinder or a pestle Put all these
    in a mixie jar along with asafetida and coconut powder, add a little water and grind to a
    watery paste.
  • Mix boiled tur dal and vegetables in the pressure cooker and put on heat. Add the masala
    and allow to boil together on a low flame until the ingredients are cooked to the right
    consistency. As the mix is likely to thicken due to the presence of the daals, keep adding
    water so that it is fluid. Add salt by tasting the mix. It is important to keep stirring the
    mix as otherwise it may burn at the bottom. After 10 minutes of stirring, pour the boiled
    rice into the mixture and keep stirring. Once the rice is fully boiled, squeeze tamarind in
    a cup of water and pour the water into the mix. Cook for 5 more minutes, ensuring that it
    does not stick to the bottom.
  • Heat the oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds when it gets heated. Add the curry leaves
    and allow them to fry completely. Remove from the heat and add the ghee into it. Pour
    the oil when hot onto the bhath. Remove the dish from the stove. The consistency of the
    dish should be such that it should easily spread when poured into a plate.
  • At the time of eating, crush a few potato wafers over the dish in the plate. Relish the dish
    when hot but don’t burn your tongue!