Name: Bisi bele Bhat recipe by Shiba Nair at BetterButter
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Rice 1 cup (any short grain basmati rice); Toor Dal 1 1/2 cup; Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp; tomatoes 2; Tamarind 1 large lemon sized; Oil 8 tsp; Mixed veggies 11/2 cup (fresh green peas, beans, carrots, raddish (small onions) cut into pieces; Home - made Bis iBele Bath powder 61/2 tbsp; Salt to taste; Ingredients for BBB powder; Byadaygi dried red chillies 24; Guntur dried red chillies 8; Coriander seeds 4 tbsp; Urad dal 2 tsp; Channa dal 3 tsp; Marathi Moggu 6; Cloves 4; Cinnamon 1 inch - 2; Cardamom 4; Mace 1 inch piece; Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp; Poppy seeds 1/2 tsp; Shredded coconut 4 tbsp; Cumin seeds 1 tsp; Whole black pepper 1/2 tsp; curry leaves 10; C. Ingredients for seasoning; Ghee 5 tbsp; Mustard 1 tsp; Cashews 1/2 cup

Ingredients Serving: 4

Rice 1 cup (any short grain basmati rice)
Toor Dal 1 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
tomatoes 2
Tamarind 1 large lemon sized
Oil 8 tsp
Mixed veggies 11/2 cup (fresh green peas, beans, carrots, raddish (small onions) cut into pieces
Home - made Bis iBele Bath powder 61/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Ingredients for BBB powder
Byadaygi dried red chillies 24
Guntur dried red chillies 8
Coriander seeds 4 tbsp
Urad dal 2 tsp
Channa dal 3 tsp
Marathi Moggu 6
Cloves 4
Cinnamon 1 inch - 2
Cardamom 4
Mace 1 inch piece
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Poppy seeds 1/2 tsp
Shredded coconut 4 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Whole black pepper 1/2 tsp
curry leaves 10
C. Ingredients for seasoning
Ghee 5 tbsp
Mustard 1 tsp
Cashews 1/2 cup
Hing 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves 3 sprigs

Instructions

Wash the rice well under running water till the water runs clean. Soak in water for 15 minutes.
Wash the lentils well. Keep it aside.
Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes.
Cook the dal in a pressure cooker with double the amount of water - 1/4 tsp turmeric. Cook till the dal gets nice and soft. After you open the cooker mash the dal with the back of the ladle.
Cook rice with 4 or 5 cups of water. I cooked this for 9 whistles but you need to take care of this as each and every cooker might be different.
The rice needs to be cooked very well in such a way that it needs to blend well with the mashed dal, that's the purpose of using short grain basmati rice.
You can also cook the rice, lentils in a pot until well cooked.
Cover and cook the cut vegetables with the required amount of water. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Add salt half way through. Turn off the gas when the vegetables are cooked but remain firm. Do not overcook the veggies and mash them.
Meanwhile in a heavy bottomed pan dry roast the ingredients for the BBB powder. On a low heat, dry roast the poppy seeds n fenugreek seeds.
Remove onto a plate once done, then dry roast coconut till the coconut turns a little brown n till u get a nice aroma, then dry roast the curry leaves and remove them onto a plate.
Then on medium heat dry roast everything else listed under the ingredients till the lentils turn golden brown in color n till it emits a nice aroma.
Let this cool, then grind to a smooth powder. Do not remove the lid of the spice grinder until the time you add the spices to the rice and lentils. This is done to not let the aroma escape.
Discard the water in which the tamarind is soaked. keep the pulp aside.
In a kadai add oil, add the diced tomatoes and then add the cooked vegetables along with the stock , give it a stir, then add the tamarind pulp. Bring to a boil.
Add the mashed dal, keep stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add more hot water if u feel the mixture is getting dry.
Mix BBB powder in a tbsp of warm water. Mix well to break any lumps, add it to the rice-lentil-veg mixture, cook on sim for 5 minutes.
Alternatively you can also add the powder directly to the rice-lentil-veg mixture & mix well well to break any lumps & make sure it gets mixed well with the rice, veggies and cook for 5 minutes on simmer.
If you feel you need to add more powder, you can add. Turn off the gas after 5 minutes.
Add two tbsp of ghee to the rice and mix well.
Add the remaining ghee in a hot kadai. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves, then add cashews and stir till they become golden in color.
Now add the hing, turn off the gas, add this tempering to the BBB immediately cover the baath in order to not let the aromas escape.
Serve hot with raita, pappad pickle and; more ghee drizzled on the rice.
BBB tastes even more when it;s served a few hours later after the preparation.

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