Category: festival recipes

Bisebelebath is a popular dish from Karnataka cuisine. It is a rice and lentil based dish cooked with vegetables and a different spice miix. It is usually prepared during festivities.

It’s that time of the year, when the weather is wonderful and our heart calls out to enjoy. It’s the season of fun and frolic. Time to celebrate with colours, yes it’s Holi.  To mark this ocassion I present  to  all of you, a dish very close dish to my heart, Bisebelebath.  It is a one pot meal which can be relished on many occasions. A rice savoury with lentils and vegetables makes a good meal with some papad.

Bisebelebath is a kannada phrase which translates to Hot Lentil Rice. Bisi is the kannada term for hot. Bele translates to lentil and bath is a rice dish. It is a one pot, hearty meal. You can serve it potato chips and fryums. Curd based salads also pair well with it.

At home, bisebelebath is usually prepared during lunch. But, one can serve it for breakfast, brunch or dinner. The traditional method of cooking is generally followed by me. It is more tastier and makes a delicious meal. But, it does require more time. One can allow it to cook on slow flame while doing other chores.

Over to the recipe of Bisebelebath 

• Preparation time: 15 minutes

• Cook time: 1 hour

• Total time: 1hour 15 minutes

• Serves: 4

• Cuisine: South India

• Type: Main Course

Ingredients:                           Measurement: 1cup = 150 ml

• 1 cup tuvar dal (arhar dal)
• 1.5 cup rice
• 20 french beans
• 1 potato
• 1 bowl green peas
• lemon sized ball tamarind
• 4 teaspoon spice mix
• salt to taste
• 12-15 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

For the seasoning:

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon chana dal
• 1 teaspoon urad dal
• ¼  teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/3 teaspoon asafetida
• 4 cashew broken into pieces (optional)
• curry leaves

For the spice mix:

• ¼ cup urad dal
• ¼ cup bengal gram
• 1 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp methi
• 1 tsp pepper corns
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 8-10 red chilly
• 2 teaspoon oil

Method :

1. Cut the potatoes into big chunks and put them in water. Remove the string of the beans and break them into medium sized pieces ( around an inch).
2. Soak tamarind in water and keep it aside.
3. Take a thick bottom pan, put water and keep it to boil. Wash tur dal and put into boiling water. Add a little turmeric powder to it.
4. Let it cook on a low flame. In the mean time, make the spice mix. Roast each one separately with a little oil. Once it cools, grind them together to a powder. Keep it aside.
5. Once the tur dal is half-cooked, put beans into it.
6. A little later put the green peas.
7. After five minutes, wash the rice and put into it. Give a stir. Adjust the level of water accordingly.
8. Lastly, put the potato pieces.
9. Allow them to cook well. The rice should not only be cooked but mushy also.
10.  Extract the pulp from the soaked tamarind.
11.  Put spice mix in the tamarind pulp and pour it over  the rice dal mixture.
12.  Mix well and let cook.
13.  Make seasoning in another pan. Take oil and ghee mixture, put mustard seeds, as it splutters add bengal gram, urad dal, cashew pieces and curry leaves. Finally, put asafetida and turmeric powder, pour it over the dish and give astir
14. Serve bisebelebath with fryums and papads. Ghee may be  added over it.

Take a tip;

• Adjust spice mix according to your taste.
• Groundnuts may be used instead of green peas.
• Other vegetables as carrot and capsicum may be added. You can use varied vegetables but keep a check on the quantity used. 
• Keeping a lid over the vessel fastens cooking.

Evergreendishesdev

Bisebelebath

Bisebelebath is a popular dish from Karnataka. A rice variety which is cooked along with lentils and vegetables makes a good food anytime.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup tuvar dal
• 1.5 cup rice
• 20 french beans
• 1 potato
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 lemon sized ball tamarind
• salt to taste
• 12-15 cups water
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 tsp spice mix

For the seasoning:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/3 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp bengal gram
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 4 cashewnuts broken into pieces
• a few curry leaves

For the spice mix:

• 1/4 cup bengal gram
• 1/4 cup urad dal
• 1 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp methi
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
• 8-10 red chilly
• 2 tsp oil

Method

 

1. Cut the potatoes into big chunks and put it in water. String the beans and break them into long pieces (about an inch)
2. Soak tamarind in water.
3. Take a thick bottom pan, put water and keep it to boil. Wash tur dal and put it into it along with a pinch of turmeric powder.
4. Once tur dal is half cooked, put beans into it. A little later put green peas into it.
5. In the mean time, prepare the spice mix. Roast each ingredient seperately with a little water. Grind it to a powder and keep it aside.
6. After five minutes, wash the rice and put into it. Adjust the level of water accordingly.
7. Lastly, put potatoes.
8. Allow it to cook for sometime. Keep stirring in between. It should not only be well cooked but mushy. Put salt to it.
9. Extract the tamarind pulp.
10. Add spice mix to the tamarind pulp. Put it over the rice dal mixture. Give a stir. Let the flavours imbibe for sometime.
11. In another pan, make the seasoning. Take the oil and ghee mixture, add mustard seeds, as it crackles put bengal gram and urad dal. Then add cashew pieces, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Pour it over the bisebelebath. 
12. Bisebelebath is ready to serve,

Notes

• Adjust the spice mix accordingly.
• The remaining spice mix can be stored and used later.
• Adjust the consistency by adding more water to it.
• Keep stirring in between.
• Other vegetables as groundnuts, capsicum may be used.
• If you do not have vegetables, then make it only with a few ground nuts.
• A little ghee over it tastes good.

About the event :

Recently, I had prepared Bisebelebath and clicked some pictures. I thought of putting better pictures here. Sending this to Foodies_Redoing Old Post 82, a fortnightly event. Here. I have only modified the picture of the dish, the recipe remains the same.

Pin it for later :

Wishing one and all a happy Holi ! May the year be filled with colourful events for all.

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