Bisibele huli anna- Bisibele bhat

 



 Bisibele bhat in Kannada literally means steaming hot dal rice. (Bisi-steaming hot, bele-dal, bhat-rice.) . There have been many improvisations on this recipe. I am trying to give below the closest and much easier one that can be served for occasions and parties.
Ingredients for 4
  1. Raw rice (ponni rice) - 1 cup
  2. Toor dal - 1/2 cup 
  3. 'Kadalai paruppu' - Channa dal - 1/4 cup (3 table spoons )
  4. Dry dhania ( coriander seeds) -  1/4 cup (3 table spoons )
  5. Peanuts - 1 table spoon
  6. Red chillies  - 8 to 10
  7. Vendhiyam - Fenugreek seeds -  a few ( 5 or 6 seeds)
  8. Cinnamon - a small stick
  9. Coconut grated - 2 table spoons
  10. Tomato -medium sized 1
  11. Small onions - peeled - 10 to 15 or one big onion - sliced
  12. Drum stick pieces
  13. Carrots a few
  14. Beans a few
  15. Potato (optional) 2 small sized.
  16. Tamarind - a small lemon sized squeezed to make 3 cups of juice.
  17. Cooking oil - 1/4 cup
  18. Ghee - 3 teaspoons
  19. Gingelly oil (நல்லெண்ணெய் ) 3 teaspoons for seasoning 
  20. Curry leaves - a few chopped
  21. Salt - to taste
Pre-Preparation:
  1. Cut the carrots,beans and potato into medium sized pieces.  
  2. Cook the rice with 2 and 1/2 cups of water.
  3. Cook the toor dal with a pinch of Turmeric powder.
  4. In a table spoon of oil roast the Fenugreek,cinnamon,red chillies,Dhaniya,peanuts,channa dal. When they are roasted golden brown, add the grated coconut.
  5. Along with tomato, grind the above roasted with 1/4 cup of water to a fine paste.
Preparation:
  1. Add the oil and put some of the mustard seeds.After the mustard seeds splutters add the onion  and saute till the onions turn golden brown. Add salt and the cut vegetables and saute again..
  2. Pour the tamarind water to the above mix and let it boil,
  3. After a few minutes ( the raw smell of tamarind disappears) add the cooked toor dal.
  4. Again after a few  minutes add the ground masala paste.
  5. Keep stirring constantly.
  6. After a few minutes add the cooked rice and mix slowly and thoroughly. The outcome should be semi solid.
  7. Using the ghee and 3 spoons of gingelly oil, add rest of the mustrad seeds. After the mustard splutters, add urad dal, 2 to 3 red chillies, broken cashews, curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Saute till the cashew nuts turns golden,
  8. Pour this over the rice and gently mix. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
  9. Serve hot with a spoon of ghee if desired.
Goes well with potato curry,roasted papads / vadagams, vathals.