BISI BELE BATH RECIPE / SAMBAR RICE RECIPE – KARNATAKA STYLE !!

Today i have for you all ” Bisi Bele Bath / Sambar Rice ” a signature dish from Karnataka .Bisi Bele Bath literally translates to – ” Bisi – Hot ; Bele – lentil ; Bath – Rice item ” . 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 favorites .

I had shared Poha bisi bele bath few months back and today i am sharing rice bisi bath . Though the method for both remains same ( just replace poha with pre cooked rice ) i am still posting it as few readers were requesting for rice bisi bele bath from long time . You can also make bisi bele bath with oats / broken wheat / millets . As per me heart of a tasty bisi bele bath lies in the perfect bisi bath powder ( recipe for it here ) . I always make and prefer home made 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 . So are you ready to jot down the recipe of ” Authentic Karnataka Style Bisi Bele Bath ” ? Here it goes…

KARNATAKA STYLE BISI BELE BATH

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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 onion
• 1 capsicum
• 2-3 tbsp Bisi bele bath powder
• lemon size Tamarind soaked in water
• small piece Jaggery ( optional )
• Salt as per taste
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric

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 over cooked .Don't add onion and capsicum .Keep it aside for later use.
  
• In a cooker ,cook lentils with turmeric by adding more water. Cook them mushy .When cooker has cooled, whisk through the cooked lentils to mash well.
  
• Wash rice and cook .
• Heat oil/ghee in a heavy bottom pan / kadai and sauté diced onion and capsicum. Add salt .
  
• Add cooked vegetables along with the water, mashed lentils, 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 add a small piece of jaggery .
  
• Next add cooked rice.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 slight 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.
  

Notes

• 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 and janmashtami .
• You can replace rice with thick poha / pre cooked broken wheat ( daliya ) / oats / millets.
• Serve bisi bele bath hot.Better make consistency of bisi bele bath a bit thin. As it cools , it thiskens and become a mass.