Bisi Bele Bath AND Bisi Bele Bath Masala Recipe
Bisi Bele Bath
'Hot Lentil Rice' with Mixed Vegetables
Submitted By: Taz

Ingredients:

2 cups Short Grained Rice (Sona Masoori)
¾ Cup Split Yellow Pigeon Peas (Toor/Arhar Dal) - picked and rinsed
1 Large Carrot (Gajar) - peeled and cut into 2” ‘matchsticks’
1 Medium Tomato (Tamatar) - diced
½ Large Chayote Squash (Chow Chow) - peeled and small diced
½ Green Bell Pepper (Simla Mirch) - seeded and small diced
1 ½ Cup Green Beans (Phalas) - cut into 1” pieces
½ Cup Green Peas (Mutter)
⅛ Cup Tamarind Concentrate (Imli)
2 tsp Rasam Powder
3 Tbs Bisi Bele Bath Masala
2 Tbs Dry Coconut (Nariyal) - grated or desiccated
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
4 tsp Peanut Oil (Mungphali ka Tel)
Salt (Namak) to taste

Tadka:
2 Tbs Ghee
½ tsp Black Mustard Seed (Rai)
⅛ tsp Asafoetida Powder (Hing)
¼ Cup Raw Cashew Nuts (Kaju) - can substitute raw peanuts (Mungphali)
30-40 Fresh Curry Leaves (Kaddi Patta) -OR- 15-25 Dried Curry Leaves (Kaddi Patta)

Preparation:
  1. Rinse Rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear - Place rice in enough clean water to cover and set aside to soak for a minimum 15 minutes
  2. Once soaked, drain and transfer to a large pan that can be tightly covered - Add clean water until ‘knuckle deep’ (rice should be under water as deep as your finger from tip to first knuckle joint) and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat
  3. Once boil has been reached, reduce heat to a simmer and loosely cover - Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed - Remove from heat, tightly cover and set aside until needed
  4. Place picked and rinsed Pigeon Peas along with the turmeric powder in a 3-6 quart pressure cooker along with 1 ½ cups water and bring to pressure over high heat - Once pressure has been reached, reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 7 minutes
  5. Remove from heat and allow to cool - Once cool enough for cooker to be safely opened, mash dal by running a whisk trough (pressing it to the sides) until creamy
  6. While rice and dal are cooking, place prepped carrot, squash, green beans, and peas in a large pot with just enough water to cover - Bring to a boil and add salt to taste (apx 2 tsp) - Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are cooked through but still hold shape (apx 10 minutes) - Remove from heat and set aside (DO NOT DRAIN)
  7. Heat peanut oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat until shimmering - Once oil is hot, add bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes - Add diced tomato and salt to taste (apx ½ tsp) and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes or until bell peppers are medium soft
  8. Add cooked vegetables along with cooking liquid (step 6) to bell pepper/tomatoes - Mix well
  9. Add mashed lentils, rasam powder, and tamarind concentrate - Thoroughly combine and bring to a boil
  10. Add cooked rice and bring back to boil - Reduce to a simmer
  11. Add Bisi Bele Bath Masala - Mix well
  12. Simmer (stirring frequently) for 10 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved (dish should be the consistency of slightly wet oatmeal)
  13. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if necessary
  14. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish - Sprinkle dried coconut over top and set aside
  15. Tadka: Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat until shimmering - Once ghee is hot, add mustard seeds and sauté until they pop (apx 30 seconds) - Add cashew nuts and continue to cook until they just begin to color (apx 2-3 minutes) - Add asafoetida and curry leaves - Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes (if using fresh curry leaves they should be crisp and crumbly)
  16. Pour Tadka over top of lentil/rice as a garnish
  17. Serve hot along with chapatti or naan, raita, and salad of choice
Bisi Bele Bath Masala
'Hot Lentil Rice' Spice Blend
Submitted By: Taz

Ingredients:

12 Dried Byadgi Chile Peppers (Byadgi Mirch)
4 Dried Guntur Chile Peppers (Guntur Mirch)
2 Tbs Dry Coconut (Nariyal) - grated
2 Tbs Coriander Seed (Dhania Saabut)
1 ½ tsp Large Split Yellow Lentils (Chana Dal)
1 tsp Split Black Lentils (Urad Dal)
¼ tsp Fenugreek Seed (Dana Methi)
¼ tsp White Poppy Seed (Khus Khus)
2 Green Cardamom Pods (Choti Elaichi)
1 inch piece Cinnamon (Dalchini)
½ inch piece Mace (Javitri)
3 Kapok Buds (Marathi Moggu / Semul)

Preparation:
  1. Place small to medium dry skillet over low/medium-low heat
  2. Add chiles, coriander seed, lentils, cardamom pods, kapok buds, cinnamon, and mace to the hot, dry, skillet and toast while constantly moving the spices until the dal are golden brown in color (apx 4-5 minutes)
  3. Transfer to a plate or pie pan and set aside
  4. Add fenugreek seed and poppy seed to the same skillet and dry roast until the fenugreek seed darken and poppy seed turns golden (apx 3 minutes)
  5. Transfer to the other roasted spices
  6. Add coconut to the same skillet (off the heat) and roast using the residual heat in the pan until slightly darkened/golden - transfer to other spices and allow to cool to room temperature
  7. Place toasted ingredients in a clean coffee grinder, spice mill, or mortar and pestle and grind into a slightly coarse powder
  8. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool dark spot for up to 6 months
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