BISEBELABATH

How mouth watering recipe just by hearing the name.....Ofcourse everyone's favorite list will have the name of this yummy, spicy bisebelath. A nice one pot cook food for the special occasion or for the weekends. The name bisi bela bath  means hot dhal rice. More the dhal in this rice, enrich the taste and the dhal keeps the rice hot for a longer time.  The spices we are adding to this traditional rice has a blend of south and north India. Its tastes very better if you grind the masala freshly. Try it and enjoy.

Ingredients :

1. Raw Rice - 1 cup

2. Thoor dhal - 3/4 cup

3. Chopped vegetables - 1 1/2 cups ( carrot, beans, potato, green peas)

4. Extracted tamarind juice ( thin consistency) - 1/2 cup or according to your taste buds

5. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

6. Jaggery - 1 tbs or as required

7. Onions - 1 sliced

8. Hing - a pinch

9.  Salt - as required

10. Turmeric powder - a pinch

11. Butter/ oil - 3 tbs 

Ingredients of the masala :

These below items has to be dry roasted to golden brown or you add few drops of oil to roast and grind it to a smooth paste.

1. Channa dhal - 1/2 tbs

2. Urud dhal - 1 tsp

3. Coriander seeds / Dhania - 1 1/2 tbs

4. Fresly grated coconut - 2 tbs

5. Red chillies - 10 or according to taste

6. Cinamon stic - 1 inch

7. Cloves - 2-3

8. Pepper corns - 2

9. Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

2. Jeera - 1 tsp

3. Round red chillies - 2-3

4. Curry leaves - 2 twigs

Method:

There are various way of cooking this recipe. I am using pressure cook method, which needs a bigger pressure cooker.  Even it is 1 cup of rice, it serves four.

1. Clean and wash the dhal and pressure cook it. Pressure cook it to a smashed consistency. Keep it ready in a seperate bowl.

2.  Heat a pan, add the ingredients mentioned for the masala. Add few drops of oil and fry to golden brown. The taste of the rice depends on this masala you are preparing. So don't let it to go dark.  Allow to cool. Once it comes to room temperature, grind it a fine thick paste using required water. Keep it ready in a seperate bowl.

3.  Take a pressure cooker, add a tbs of butter and a tbs of oil. Once it gets heated, add the seasoning. Once they got popped, add sliced onions, fry nicely.

4. Add chopped vegetables give a nice stir, add 5 cups of water and allowed to boil.

5. Add Turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, jaggery, hing to the water and allow to boil nicely. When the vegetables are cooked 3/4th add the cooked dhal and allow to boil. Add tamarind mixture to the vessel and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.

6. Add the cleaned and washed rice to the dhal - vegetable mixture. Let the rice gets cooked with the vegetables for 5 minutes and absorbs the flavour.

7. Now add the Grind bisebelabath masala to the vessel and stir without forming any lumps. You will get a nice aroma now. Close the pressure cooker lid and put weight. Give 3-4 whistles.

8. Once the pressure is gone, remove the lid. Add 1 more cup of water and cook it without closing the lid. You can check the taste now and you can add if it requires.

9. Transfer the cooked rice to a serving bowl, add 2 tbs of butter before serving.

10. Serve hot with potato chip or pappads.