Bisi Bele Bath literally means "hot lentils rice" is a popular wholesome meal from Karnataka. This spicy rice based dish has rice, lentils, mix of vegetables and special spicy masala powder all cooked together in pressure cooker. It's a wholesome meal in itself!
I like to cook rice, dal and vegetables separately, though you can cook them to-gather at a time, cooking them separately gives more taste to the bath. I prefer to cook vegetables in open pot, which retains the color of the veggies.
Wash rice and lentils separately till water turns clear. Add 4 cups of water to rice and 2 ½ cups of water to dal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.
Cook vegetables in open pot, first add the vegetables that needs longer time to cook, until half cooked. Next add other vegetables depending on the time it would need to cook. I first cooked carrots and beans until half done, then added cauliflower and after 8-10 mins I added capsicum.
Once rice, dal and vegetables are all cooked you are ready to mix them together to make BBB. Keep onions and tomatoes chopped and ready.
In a large pan(I used pressure cooker) add oil, to hot oil add mustard seeds and wait until they crackle. Next add asafoetida.
Add chopped onions and saute until translucent, now add tomatoes and saute until they turn soft and mushy.
Next add turmeric powder, sambar powder and bisi bele bath powder and mix well. Next add the cooked vegetables and mix.
It's time to add dal now, add cooked and mashed dal to cooker and mix well. Once every thing blends add cooked and mashed rice and mix again.
Finally add tamarind juice, mix well and allow it to cook for 5 mins. Season with salt.
Hot, flavorful and heavenly bisi bele bath is ready. Serve them piping hot with little ghee on top along with kara boondi or chips along with raita.
Notes
Bisi bele bath masala powder has to be stored in air tight container and refrigerated.
Though you can cook everything(rice, dal, veggies) together in a pressure cooker (one pat meal), Cooking veggies, rice and dal separately gives a wonderful and unique taste to this bath.
You can choose any vegetable to add to the dish, peas, potato, drum sticks, radish, broad beans, all go well with this dish.
The proper and only right way to serve bisi bele bath is with a dollop of gheeand handful of spicy kara boondi. Don't skip both.