Bisi Bele Bath (South India)

This rice made dish is quite similar to Pongal or Kichuri with a slight variation in taste and preparation. Though Bisi Bele Bath is widely available through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it is originally a Karnataka dish. We tasted the dish first time from a vegetarian restaurant in Bangalore and we liked the taste.

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup (long grain)

Toor daal 1 cup

Potatoes ¾ cup (diced)

Carrots ½ cup (diced)

Beans ½ cup (chopped)

Green peas ½ cup

Tamarind juice ½ cup

Cashew nuts 8 (slit)

Asafetida 1 pinch

Ghee 1½ tablespoons

Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon

Coriander leaves a few

Vegetable oil as required

Ghee 3 teaspoons

Water as required

Salt to taste

Masala powder ingredients

Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons

Fenugreek seeds 1 tablespoon

Chana daal 1 tablespoon

Urad daal ½ tablespoon

Red chilies 6

Clove 2 to 3

Cinnamon 2 (small)

Method §  Roast all masala ingredients and grind them to fine powder. §  Wash & soak rice for 30 minutes. §  Wash & soak toor daal for 10 minutes; drain and pressure cook toor daal to tender. §  Heat a frying pan with 3 teaspoons of ghee; fry cashew nuts and keep aside; §  Heat some vegetable oil to the same frying pan with leftover ghee in it; add all vegetables and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. §  Add salt, turmeric powder, asafetida, and masala powder; sauté for another 2 minutes. §  Add rice and stir for a minute; add cooked toor daal and stir to mix well; add tamarind juice and 4 cups of water; cook until all water is absorbed. §  If rice is not cooked well, add some more water and cook until done. §  Garnish with fried cashew nuts, coriander leaves and serve hot. A similar dish from Tamilnadu is known as Sambar Sadham, though taste may differ a little.