BisiBelaBath/sambar sadam

Bisibelabath is a very popular dish in Karnataka. The name Bisi bele bhaath is a phrase, which literally means “Hot Lentil Rice”, as in Kannada, Bisi means hot, bele means Lentils and bhaath means a dish made of rice (Def-wiki. Since it is cooked with lentils, vegetables and rice and it can be called a one pot meal. Many think it is a very elaborate process but actually it is very simple to make. I learnt this from my Kannada neighbour long time back. We used to go for walk together and the only thing that was common between both of us was cooking. So our conversation was usually about food and recipes. Once I asked her about this bisibela bath and she told me how to prepare it. The very next day I prepared it and liked it so much that I used to make this often. I am a great fan of this rice dish. It tastes great when served hot with papads and onion raita. This is her recipe and the only change I made was, to omit adding a little jaggery at the end. Bisi bele bath masala is available in grocery stores also. So if you do not have much time on hand, you can use the masala available, as that is also equally good. Today let us learn how to make bisi bela bath following this easy recipe.

Dry roast khus khus separately, keep it aside.

Heat a tsp of oil, roast the ingredients under Bisi Bela Bath Masala (except khus khus), adding dry coconut at the end. Roast everything until it becomes slightly brown in colour and dry grind it along with dry roasted khus khus. You can prepare this a few days before if you are using kopra as it will not get spoiled. Store it in an airtight container.

Pressure cook rice with 4 ½ cups of water for 4 whistles.

Pressure cook dal with a cup of water and keep aside. Mash it well. I usually soak dal for 15 -20 minutes in hot water to reduce cooking time.

Cut pearl onions into 2-3 pieces. Cut beans and carrot lengthwise or into cubes. Peel and chop potatoes into cubes. Cut capsicum into small pieces.

Soak tamarind in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Extract its juice and discard the pulp.

Heat a tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add fenugreek seeds, hing and curry leaves. Saute for a second and add chopped onions.

Sauté onions until it becomes transparent. Then add all the vegetables (except capsicum) and sauté for a few more seconds. Sprinkle water and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.

Now add tamarind extract, needed salt and the prepared bisibelabath masala powder. Let it boil well until the raw flavour goes. By the time the vegetables will also get cooked well.

Add cooked dal, cooked rice, 4-5 tsp of ghee and mix well. Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes and switch off the heat.

Heat a tsp of ghee and sauté capsicum until slightly cooked. It should be crunchy.

Garnish Bisibelabath with sauteed capsicum, finely chopped coriander leaves, mix well and serve hot with chips or papads or onion raita or gobi 65.