Bisibelabath recipe
Bisi Bela Bath is a flavorful and wholesome dish made with rice, lentils, and vegetables. This traditional one-pot meal from Karnataka cuisine is also known as Sambar Rice and is widely popular in South India. It is, in fact, a signature offering of the renowned MTR restaurant chain.
Ingredients
- Mixed Vegetables* 2 cups
- Rice 3/4 cup
- Toor dal 1/3 cup
- Sambar powder 1 and 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
- Salt as needed
- Small onions | shallots 1/2 cup
- Tamarind extract from a small lemon sized tamarind 2 cups
- Oil 2 tbsp + 3 tsp
- Ghee 1 tbsp
- Cashew nuts few
- Peanuts few (optional)
- Curry leaves few
- Asafoetida 2 pinches
- Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
To roast and grind
- Dhaniya | Coriander seeds 2 tbsp.
- Channa dal 2 tbsp.
- Red chili 5-6
- Kopra or fresh coconut 1/4 cup
- Tomato 1
Instructions
- In a pan add 1/2 tsp of oil and add the Dhaniya, Channa dal and red chili. Roast till golden brown.
- Switch off the flame and add the copra and tomato.
- Grind this into a fine paste. You can add water while grinding.
- In a pressure cooker cook the rice and toor dal using 4 cups of water for 6-7 whisltes.
- Mash this with a ladle and keep aside.
- In a pressure cooker add 2 tbsp. of oil (cooking oil + sesame oil) and add mustard seeds.
- Once it splutters add in the small onions. You can use finely chopped big onion too.
- Once the onions turn pink add the veggies. Mix well and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Keep the tamarind extract ready. Add the tamarind water to this.
- Add in the sambar powder, asafoetida, salt and turmeric powder.
- Let this boil for 2 minutes.
- Add in the ground paste and the mashed rice and Toor dal mixture.
- Mix well without any lumps and add 1/2 cup of water and 3 tsp of sesame oil and cover the cooker.
- Pressure cook till 1 whistle and keep in low flame for 10 minutes.
- Add ghee in a small pan and add the cashew nuts and peanuts(if adding).
- Cook till golden brown and add to the bisibelabath. Mix well.
- Add curry leaves and serve hot with Appalam | vadam | raita.
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