Bisi Bele Bath Recipe – A Rice-Lentil Staple From Karnataka

Bisi Bele Bath Recipe

Bisi Bēle Bhāt is a popular staple in Karnataka. In Kannada, the vernacular of the land of its origin, ‘Bisi’ refers to ‘heat’ (temperature & not the spice level), ‘Bēle’ is lentil and ‘Bhāt’ is rice. Besides Karnataka, this comfort dish is quite popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as well. It is just that a lot outside the Kannada speaking regions get the pronunciation wrong, including one of us.  Every household in South India has their own take on this dish. So, there is no standard template for a perfect bisi bele bath recipe. Understand the flavour elements and make it the way that is most convenient for you.

Our bisi bele bath recipe will yield 2 servings, with 585 kilocalories in each. To follow our bisi bele bath recipe, you will need the ingredients listed below,

Ingredients, Measurements & Nutritional Values

Spice Powder for Bisi Bele Bath
Coriander seeds	20 grams
Split chickpea (Chana dal)	20 grams
Black peppercorn	5 grams
Fenugreek seeds	2 grams
Dried red chillies	5
To Pressure Cook
Brown rice	100 grams
Pigeon Pea (Toor dal)	100 grams
Water	600 ml
To Make Bisi Bele Bath
Butter	20 grams
Curry leaves	A sprig
Urad dal	2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds	1 teaspoon
Asafoetida	1
Shallots	100 grams
Tomatoes	1
Garlic	30 grams
Ginger	20 grams
Cauliflower	180 grams
Carrot	70 grams
Cowpea	60 grams
Tamarind extract	1 cup
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Spice powder	2 tablespoon
Carrot	1
Coriander leaves	handful
Palm jaggery	30 grams
Salt	To taste
Water	As required

Click On The Nutritional Chart Below To Zoom

Facts

• Pigeon peas are an excellent source of dietary fiber and protein. The latter is an important energy source for the body and is essential for cellular growth.
• Brown rice contains a phytonutrient called lignans. Lignans protect against heart disease.

Video Walk Through – Bisi Bele Bath Recipe

Instructions – Bisi Bele Bath Recipe

Make Spice Powder

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dried red chillies, split chickpeas and fenugreek seeds for a minute or two on medium-low heat. Set aside to cool down. Dry roasting releases the oils contained within and brings the best quality out of each ingredient.
2. Transfer the dry roasted stuff to a grinder and grind into a fine powder.
3. Store the powder in an air tight container.

You would need about a tablespoon or two of this spice powder to make our  bisi bele bath recipe. Use it according to your spice tolerance and comfort.

Prep Ginger-Garlic Paste

1. Add about 30 grams of garlic and 20 grams of ginger to a blender. You can also use equal quantities of both.
2. Add a splash of water and blitz into a smooth paste.
3. Set aside.

You will be using a tablespoon or two of ginger garlic paste in this bisi bele bath recipe. If you are not a big fan of ginger and garlic, you may choose to use less.

Prep Tamarind Extract

1. Soak a small ball of tamarind in one cup of hot water for 30 minutes. Press the pulp with a spoon and allow the juices to flavour the water.
2. 30 minutes later, drain the liquid and discard the pulp.
3. The liquid is tamarind extract.

Prep Rice & Lentil

1. Add brown rice & pigeon peas to a mixing bowl. Add water and soak for 30 minutes.
2. 30 minutes later, discard water. Thoroughly wash & sort lentils and brown rice in running water.
3. Transfer rice and lentil to a pressure cooker.
4. Add water. The amount of water should be 3 times the quantity of solid. That is, if you were to use 1 cup of solids, add 3 cups of water or 200 grams of solids would need 600 grams of water.
5. Pressure cook for 4 whistles and allow the pressure to release naturally.
6. Set aside.

Make Bisi Bele Bath

1. Set up a pot or sauce pan on medium heat .
2. Add butter.
3. As the butter starts to melt, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram (urad dal or mungo bean), curry leaves and asafoetida. Allow them to splutter for a minute.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and shallots. Saute briskly and brown them for 3 minutes.
5. Add cauliflower, cowpea, carrot and  tomatoes. Fry them for 2 minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder and salt to your taste. Mix them well.
7. Cover the vegetables with water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the vegetables are tender. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
8. 15 minutes later, add palm jaggery and mix it in. If you do not like palm jaggery, feel free to substitute with cane jaggery or brown sugar. We eat a lot of palm jaggery as it is the healthier option.
9. Add tamarind extract, followed by pressure cooked brown rice and pigeon peas.
10. Add our freshly ground spice powder and mix everything well.
11. Reduce on medium-low heat for 10  minutes.
12. 15 minutes later, remove from heat and serve bisi bele bath over a handful of fresh coriander leaves.

Bisi Bele Bath Recipe, another healthy recipe, the hissing cooker way.