Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time- 20 minutes
Servings - 4
Bisi Bele Bath, an authentic South Indian ‘One-Pot’ dish hailing from the city of Mysuru in Karnataka, is a rice-lentil combination dish made with flavourful and aromatic masala. ‘Bisi’ means hot, ‘bele’ means dal and ‘bath’ means a blend of rice and lentils together. This traditional dish is considered the pride of Karnataka and is popular among all South Indian states.
Bisi bele bath is often misunderstood as the Sambar saadham of Tamil Nadu, but both dishes are very different except for the rice-lentil combination. The authentic version of Bisi bele bath has no onion and vegetables. Yet some versions include onions and veggies for fullness and nourishment. The lip-smacking taste of this dish is mainly brought in by the rich range of freshly roasted and ground masala.
The ingredient list may look lengthy. But it is one of the finest compiled lists to make the authentic Bisi bele bath. The prepared masala powder can be stored for about 4 months if made without adding dry coconut. Let’s dive into the detailed step-by-step recipe of this iconic dish.
INGREDIENTS:
Cooking directions:
- Take Rice and Toor dal in a bowl. Rinse them and soak them in water for 20 minutes. Take the soaked rice and toor dal in a Krono pressure cooker, add 6 glasses of water and cook for 3 to 4 whistles. You can easily track the number of whistles released by looking at the whistle counter
For the masala:
- Dry roast all the ingredients one by one.
- First, add chana dal and urad dal one after the other and roast until it turns light brown and keep it aside. Then roast poppy seeds in low flame for a short time. As they tend to splatter, extra care is needed in roasting the poppy seeds.
- Then add cloves and cinnamon until they give out a nice flavour. After this, add cumin and fenugreek and roast them until they turn dark and fenugreek pops.
- Dry roast the coriander seeds till they start giving a wonderful aroma.
- Then comes the dry coconut roasting. This is completely optional. Coconut has to be roasted on low flame until it turns light brown and resembles sand.
- After all the dry roasting, add 1 tbsp oil on the pan and roast the red chillies in slow flame. Leave all the ingredients to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then grind them to a soft powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
For the bath:
- In a wide pan, add oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add a few cashews and roast. To this add diced veggies, salt, jaggery, tamarind extract and enough water. Let the mixture boil for about 6 to 7 minutes till the raw smell changes and then begins to thicken.
- To the boiling bath add turmeric powder and the cooked rice and dal. Keep stirring and mixing to avoid lumps. Then dissolve 2 ½ tbsp of the ground masala and hing in water and add it to the bath. Let the mixture cook on medium flame and thicken for about 5 minutes. Adjust the salt and water of the bath as desired. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
- Switch off the stove. Add a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves and 1 ½ tsp of ghee. Leave it covered for a few more minutes and serve hot.
Bisi Bele Bath tastes amazing with pappads and raita by the side. Steaming hot Bisi bele bath tastes more heavenly even after a few hours. This authentic dish can also be prepared by a shortcut as a one-pot dish. In this, the tempering is done first, followed by adding veggies, soaked rice and dal, along with masala and salt all at a time and pressure-cooked for 3 or 4 whistles.