Bisi Bele Bhaat
This is a festive Karnataka recipe. It is often made on festival days and is a complete meal in itself. Bisi Bele Bhaat is served with pappads, boondi or potato chips to give a crunch. There are many versions and I like to believe that this is a very easy method to make a spectacular meal or a main course. It is really tasty served with ghee for those who don’t mind the calories. There are plenty of commercial sambar powders in the market or you can use my grandmother’s recipe. Sambar powder usually consists of roasted dhals, coriander, chili, pepper, cumin, mustard, methi seeds and dried curry leaves.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Tuvar dhal
- 3/4 cup (180ml) rice
- 2 cups chopped vegetables
- 2 tbsp sambar powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp tamarind extract
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts
- pinch of asafetida (hing) powder
Servings: people
Instructions
- Wash the dhal and rice well.
- Put the washed dhal and rice, chopped vegetables , salt, sambar powder and 3 cups (approx 750 ml) water in the pressure cooker and cook until soft. The quantity of sambar powder can either be reduced or increased to your taste depending on the spice level you want.
- Open the pressure cooker. Add another cup of water and tamarind extract. Stir and adjust seasoning. Cook for a few minutes until mushy.
- Heat oil. Add the mustard, curry leaves and asafoetida. When the aroma starts, add the cashew nuts . Switch off the heat when the cashew nuts are light brown.
- Add to the cooked rice, dhal and vegetable mixture . Top with ghee.