Indian Food Recipe: Bisi Bele Bhat

 By Nandini Bhushan*

The cuisine from the five southern states of India — Tamil Naidu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is grouped together as the South Indian cuisine. This cuisine offers a wide range of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian delicacies that is sure to delight one’s taste bud. Let us explore the mouth-watering dishes from the Southern Indian states to experience the essence of each of these states.

Also try: Indian Food Recipe: Andhra Pepper Chicken

Bisi Bele Bhat

A hearty one-pot meal, Bisi Bele Bhat is a flavourful dish made with rice, lentil fresh vegetables and a lot of South Indian flavours. It is believed to have originated in the Mysore palace and gradually spread across the Southern states. A must try humble yet amazing dish that is served along with ghee and fried papad.

Ingredients

Rice: 1 cup

Tuvar dal: ½ cup

French Beans: ¼ cup

Diced carrot: ¼ cup

Potato: ½ cup

Peas: ¼ cup

Drum stick: ¼ cup

Madras onion: ¼ cup

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Tamarind paste: 2 tsp

Jaggery powder: 1 tsp

Salt as required

For bisi bele bhath masala

Chana dal: 1 tsp

Urad dal: 1 tsp

Dry coconut: ¼ cup

Cinnamon: 1

Kashmiri red whole chilli: 5

Coriander seed: 2 tsp

Coconut oil: ½ tsp

For tempering

Ghee: 1 tsp

Mustard seed: ¼ tsp

Dry red chilli: 2

Curry leaves: 6

Asafoetida (Hing): a pinch

Step 1

To make the bisi bele masala saute the above-mentioned ingredients for a couple of minutes. Once cool, blend to make a fine powder.

Step 2

Clean, wash and soak the rice and dal separately for at least half an hour. Drain the excess water and keep it aside.

Step 3

In a deep pan, combine together dal, turmeric powder, and salt with 5 to 6 cups of water and cook for about fifteen minutes on medium flame until soft.

Step 4

Cook the rice separately.

Step 5

In a pan add oil and saute shallots until translucent. Add the diced vegetables with salt and saute for about five to seven minutes. To this add a cup of water until the vegetables are soft.

Step 6

Add the bisi bele masala powder along with turmeric powder, tamarind and jaggery and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked rice and dal to it along with about half a cup of water and cook it further until it reaches the desired consistency.

Step 7

For the tempering, heat ghee in a small pan. Reduce the heat and add mustard seed. Next add broken red chilli, curry leaves, hing and a couple of cashew nuts. Saute till cashews turn light brown.

Step 8

Pour it over the bisi bele bhat and give it a good mix. Serve it along with papad.