Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi bele bath means 'hot lentil rice' in Kannada. Rice and toor dal cook together until soft, then meet vegetables, tamarind and a freshly roasted masala. It is served piping hot with a spoon of ghee and something crunchy on the side.

Video by Hebbars Kitchen on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 20 min
• Cook 45 min
• Vegetarian · gluten-free
• Famous in Karnataka

Ingredients

• 150 g rice
• 100 g toor dal
• 1 litre water
• 300 g mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, potato), diced
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp jaggery or sugar
• 3 tbsp bisi bele bath powder (ready-made, or see tip)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 2 tbsp cashews

Method

1. Wash rice and dal together and cook with 1 litre water and the turmeric for 20–25 minutes (or 4 whistles in a pressure cooker) until very soft. Mash lightly.
2. In a separate pot cook the vegetables in 300 ml water with the salt until just tender.
3. Stir tamarind, jaggery and the bisi bele bath powder into the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the rice-dal mixture and stir well. Add hot water until it is loose and porridge-like – it thickens as it stands.
5. For the tempering, heat the ghee, fry the cashews golden, then add mustard seeds, chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
6. Pour the tempering over the pot and serve hot, ideally with boondi or potato chips.

Tip: No ready-made powder? Dry-roast 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp cumin, 4 dried chillies, a small piece of cinnamon, 4 cloves and 2 tbsp desiccated coconut, then grind.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.