This is an authentic recipe from Karnataka. A rice recipe with vegetables, spices, dal , rice makes it a wholesome dish. This is a healthy dish and can be made on special occasions as well. It can also be a good lunch box recipe if one has the facility of reheating. This recipe is best enjoyed piping hot. This recipe can be broken down majorly into three steps – preparing the masala, cooking the rice and dal, cooking the veggies. Then post threes steps is final assembling. So let’s now dive into this lip smacking recipe.

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup

Tur dal/ pigeon peas – 1/2 cup

Ghee – 5 tsp

Onion or shallots – if onion then one onion and if using shallots 10 -15

Carrot – 1 medium sized cut lengthwise

French beans – 5 no’s cut lengthwise

Green peas – 1/2 cup

Curry leaves – 1/4 cup

Tamarind water – one small gooseberry sized tamarind soaked in one glass warm water

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cashews – few

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Jaggery – 1 tsp

Warm water – as required

Salt – as per taste

Ingredients for the masala

Coriander seeds – 3 tsp

Bengal gram or Chana dal – 1 tbsp

Bedgi chilly – 3-4 No’s

Dry coconut – 1/2 cup ( if you don’t have dry coconut you may use fresh coconut, but roast it till brown)

Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns – 4-5 no’s

Fenugreek seeds – 1/8 tsp

Cinnamon – 1 inch stick

Cloves – 3

Oil – 1 tsp

Method

1. In a pan add oil and roast the following – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper corns, fenugreek seeds, bengal gram, bedgi chilly, cinnamon stick, cloves and dry coconut till nice and crisp. Set aside. Once cooled grind this into a nice powder without adding any water.

2. Wash the rice and dal well and soak it for half an hour. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt and cook the rice and dal together in a pressure cooker till soft and mushy.

3. In a pan add the water extracted from the tamarind and add salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida, and vegetables like onion, carrot, French beans and green peas. Cook till the raw smell goes away and till the vegetables are soft. Now add the masala powder and cook for five minutes.

4. Add the dal rice mixture to this and mix well. Adjust the consistency with warm water and add jaggery. Check for salt. In a tempering pan add ghee and splutter mustard seeds, add cashews and fry. Then add curry leaves. Pour this into the bisibelebath and serve hot.

Tips & tricks

1. The rice and dal should be mushy. Use the back of a ladle and mash well to get a good consistency.

2. You may use any vegetables of your choice but do not use vegetables which are sticky in nature like lady’s finger or colocasia.

3. Instead of cashews you may also add peanuts or you may add both.

4. Always use warm or hot water to adjust consistency.

5. If you don’t have bedgi chilly use any chilly or combination of chilly which is spicy and adds color.

6. You may serve bisibelebath with any of the following – potato fry, lady’s finger fry, yam fry, Arbi fry, cauliflower fry or raita like cucumber raita, onion raita, tomato raita or mix veg raita. Also serve some papad or chips by the side. You may also serve them with any Thoran/poriyal (coconut based sabzi) as I have done.