Bisi Bele Bath ( Karnataka )

Having lived in Karnataka for sometime now , it becomes but natural that we too have taken a tremendous liking to the food culture and try to imbibe the simple pieces from our neighboring Kannadiga kitchens into our day to day home cooking . Besides , whenever I am exploring recipes for the #29states , I like to experience the essence of the dish from the people who make it as a part of their daily staple in order to get to know the intricacies of the flavours better . A well made Bisi bele bath is one such entrant which tops the list besides other everyday favorites like the Kane Rava Fry , Pandi curry , Rava Kesari bath etc .

While most of the house holds today use the ready mix powder , we insist you make the spice mix at home and store as a make - ahead . This I can assure you will make the most significant difference to the taste of your dish . Tempered with ghee and fresh curry leaves , a well made BB Bath works as a fantastic mid day meal and is the perfect bowl of comfort food.

Let me share that the Bisi Bele is not just spiced Khichadi and there is definitely more character to it . Ideally , one has to cook the rice, the lentil and the vegetables separately and then mix everything for the perfect consistency . The choice of veggies is completely open ended and can be a varied mix of drumsticks, radish, peas, capsicum, cauliflower ( I even added broccoli ) and cucumber.

Let me take you through the spice mix first

( Dry roast all of the below and grind to a fine powder )

• 4 tsp coriander seeds

• 4 tsp chana dal

• 2 tsp white urad dal

• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

• ¼ tsp methi or fenugreek seeds

• ½ tsp whole peppercorns

• 3 pods cardamom + 1 inch cinnamon + 4 cloves

• 2 - 3 slivers of dried coconut

• 2 tsp poppy seeds

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• 10 dried Kashmiri red chilli

• Few curry leaves

For the Bisi Bele Bath

• Mixed veges of your own choice

• 02 tsp tamarind extract

• ½ tsp jaggery

• 1 cup toor dal, boiled

• 2 cups rice, boiled

• 2 cups water

• Salt as per taste

For the tempering

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 1 tsp black mustard seeds+1 dried red chilli

• Pinch of hing ( asafoetida )

• Few curry leaves

• 10 whole cashew ( Optional )

Steps to follow :

• In a big pan , boil the vegetables in 2 cups water with the turmeric and salt till half done. Next add the tamarind extract and the jaggery into the veges and boil for another 10 mins together .

• To this , add the cooked toor dal , cooked rice and 1 cup water & simmer further for another 05 mins. Next , add 03 tbsp. of the Bisi bele bath masala and simmer for another 20 mins and keep on low heat .

• In another vessel , heat the ghee and add in all the tempering ingredients

• Tempered the BB bath and mix well .

• Serve hot topped with khara boondi and curd raita on the side.