Bisi Bele Bhath

Bisi bele bath (BBB) is a hot favorite of mine and I can't think of anything more nutritious, well balanced, easy to make and delicious. This is another dish with so many variations that it's quite hard to keep track but there's one version that I tried a few years ago and have stuck by it for most part. This recipe is from the master cook Hemant Trivedi who promises that this will be one unforgettable BBB. I have made some slight modifications to add a personal touch and cater to our culinary preferences ... so here it is...

BISI BELE BHATH

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup
Thuvar (Toor) Dhal - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 small, diced
Green Beans - ~ 15, cut into 1 inch pieces
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Lima Beans - 1/2 cup (optional)
Carrot - 1, big or 2 medium, cut into 1 inch pieces
Shallots - 10 or 15 OR Onion - 1 big, diced
Green Bell Pepper (capsicum) - 1 medium, diced
Tamarind - lemon sized (soaked and juice extracted)
Salt, to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - to taste

For the Masala:

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece

Clove - 1-2

Dried Red chillies - 10

Asafoetida - a couple pinches

Sambar powder - 3 tsp

Biryani Pulao Masala - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp

Coconut - 1/4 cup, grated

Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Pressure cook Rice and Toor dhal with some Salt until soft.

2. Microwave the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, peas, lima beans and green beans) with some salt and about 1/4 cup water for about 7 minutes, or until almost tender.

3. For the Masala powder: in a small sauté pan heat 1 tsp of ghee and add the clove, cinnamon, asafoetida, red chillies and fry for a few seconds. When the red chillies start browning a bit, add the sambar powder and biryani pulao masala with the grated coconut and fry that for a couple minutes more. Cool and powder this in a mixie.

4. Heat 1 tsp of oil in the same sauté pan and fry the onions and capsicum with a pinch of salt till done.

5. Now, the grand mixing - Combine the cooked rice and dhal mixture, the vegetables, fried onion-capsicum, spice powder, tamarind extract and salt (if required) and let this rest for about 30 minutes to an hour.

6. Add water to this mixture until it reaches a semi-solid consistency and pressure cook it for 1 whistle. Add some ghee to taste (optional) and serve with vadaams and cool yogurt.

I would like to send this as my entry for RCI-Karnataka which is hosted by lovely Asha:)