BISI BELE BATH RECIPE / KARNATAKA STYLE BISIBELE BATH

Today I have for you all ” Bisi Bele Bath Recipe  ” a signature dish from Karnataka. It’s also known as Sambar rice in other parts of India and Bisi Bele Huli Anna in many Kannadiga homes. As the name says …It’s spicy, hot and wholesome with rice, dal and veggies … tastes best when served hot. Some dishes never fail to bore you …though I’ve been eating this dish since ages, it still remains one of my favourites.

What is Bisi Bele Bath?

Bisi Bele Bath literally translates to – ” Bisi – Hot; Bele – lentil; Bath – Rice item “. This dish is wholesome with rice, dal, vegetables and a special spice powder is added it to it is known as Bisi Bele Bath Masala Powder. It tastes best when served hot with some Ghee drizzled at top and little boondi / chips at side. The uniqueness of Bisi Bele Bath is its spice powder.

One can make Bisi Bele bath with Poha / oats / broken wheat/millets / Rice. Though the method for all remains almost same( just replace pre-cooked rice with poha / cooked millets / cooked dalia etc). Will be sharing them soon.

Few points to note before making Bisi Bele Bath :

• Rice and Dal can be cooked together in a pressure cooker or cooked separately or slow-cooked in a vessel.
• As per me heart of a tasty Bisi bele bath lies in the perfect bisi bele bath powder. I always make and prefer homemade bisi bele bath powder however if you want to finish it off really quick, then you can always use ready-made bisibele bath powder available in stores.
• I would recommend always to add capsicum, drum stick / knol khol to bisi bele bath. They give a very special taste to it.
• If you are making for festivals you can omit onion. In Karnataka, poha bisi bele bath is usually made on ekadashi / janmashtami and hence is without Onion
• As said earlier, you can replace rice with thick poha / pre-cooked broken wheat ( daliya ) / oats/millets.
• Better make consistency of bisi bele bath a bit thin. As it cools, it thickens and become a mass.

So are you ready to jot down the recipe of ” Authentic Karnataka Style Bisi Bele Bath “? Here it goes…

Check Out the Video recipe here :

KARNATAKA STYLE BISI BELE BATH

Smitha Kalluraya

Bisi bele bath is a delicious and healthy dish from Karnataka cuisine made of rice, lentils and vegetables.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine karnataka

Servings 4 serving

Ingredients

 

• 2 cup Cooked Rice
• 1 cup Spit pigeon pea / Tuvar dal
• 1-2 cup Mixed Vegetables ( Beans ,Carrot , knolkhol, peas ,potato etc.. whichever is available )
• 1 big onion, sliced
• 1 small Tomato, chopped
• 1 capsicum
• 2-3 tbsp Bisi bele bath powder
• lemon size Tamarind, soaked in water
• small piece Jaggery, ( optional )
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• Salt, as per taste

To Temper 

• 2 - 4 tbsp Oil/ Ghee
• 1 tsp Mustard
• a handful Peanuts
• few pieces Cashew nuts, Broken ( optional )
• few pieces Dry coconut pieces, ( optional )
• few Curry Leaves

Instructions

 

• Chop all the vegetables. Cook them in cooker or microwave with less water, it should not get overcooked. Don't add onion and capsicum. Keep it aside for later use.
  
• In a cooker, cook rice & lentils with turmeric by adding more water. Cook them mushy. When the cooker has cooled, mash a bit.
  
• Heat oil/ghee in a heavy bottom pan / Kadai and sauté diced onion , tomato and capsicum. Add salt.
  
• Add cooked vegetables along with the water, salt, tamarind pulp and bring to a boil.
  
• Now add the freshly ground Bisi Bele Bath mix. Stir well to break any lumps and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  
• Check for taste and adjust tamarind, salt and spice mix. It must be strong (spicy) at this stage. Once you add rice, it will absorb. If you want to add a small piece of jaggery.
  
• Next, add cooked rice + dal.
  
• Add more water. Let the consistency be watery. Mix well. Keep stirring in between, else the mixture will stick to the bottom. Boil well so that rice absorbs spices well. Switch off when done.
  
• For the tempering: heat ghee/oil in a small kadai.When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and peanuts. After they crackle, add small dry coconut pieces and cashew pieces. Saute on low flame till they are light brown. Switch off and add curry leaves.
  
• Pour the tempering over the piping hot Bisi Bele Bath, cover immediately to preserve the aroma.
  
• Bisi bele bath is ready to serve.
  
• Serve it hot drizzled with ghee as such or with potato chips / Khara boondi / Veg Raitha on the sides.
  

Video

Notes

Note: This post was published on 18 Aug 2015 and is republished with few edits.

Keyword bisibele bath