Bisibela baath

   Bisibela baath, a two-word recitation and that dates back to my school days where my mother used to prepare on every saturdays.  Served hot with ghee, these would literally melt in my mouth. This meal, as such is heavy on ur stomach and will mesmerize your mind wanting for more!!!!!!!   Back at home, found best time to prepare, that is on sunday when my hubby (who always requested to make some) was there to support   :P  :P

     Bisibela baath, orginating from Karnataka cuisine lets out meaning like "Hot Lentil Rice" .  Here,  an array of vegetables (Brinjal, snakegourd, pumpkin, carrot, beans, drumstick etc) are cooked in dal tempered like sambhar style.  Cooked rice is mashed, added to the dal and masala comes at the end.  The much interesting part of cooking bisibela baath is its spice mix.  Since I luved my mom's, called her and got her ratios.  Tweaking a bit, I proceeded and yes !!!!!  Bisibela baath was very awesome, it got over by end of the meal!!  :)  

But the suspicious part here is that you should serve it warm from the stove.  If let to wait, there is an chance of rice absorbing all dal, leaving the baath dry.  In such cases, I would suggest you to reserve 25% of dal and finish cooking the dish, just before you serve, you can add the reserved dal, give an gentle stir so that baath resumes its correct consistency.  

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients required

For masala paste

• 5 whole red chilly
• 1 tsp whole dhania/coriander seeds
• 1 tsp chana dal
• Handful of curry leaves
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp peppercorn
• 1 tsp rice
• 1 tbspn grated coconut
• 1 tsp hing/perungayam
• 1 tsp crushed jaggery/gur

Other 

• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup dal
• 2 tbspn of oil
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped tomatos
• 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric
• 2 cups of chopped vegetables (Drumstick, Brinjal, Snakegourd, Carrot, Beans)
• Lemon-sized tamarind ball
• Salt, as required
• Water, if needed

For tempering

• 1 tbspn oil
• 1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 broken dry red chilly
• Handful of curry leaves
• 1 tsp of hing/perungayam

To garnish

• 2 tbspn of finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbspn of  ghee

Method

Pressure cook rice and dal separately.  Keep aside.  Add hot water to tamarind and squeeze off its pulp, keep aside. 

Skipping jaggery and hing, add all other ingredients under masala section  in kadaai and dry roast them.

Now, after they are browned, add jaggery, hing and blend them into an fine paste.  Keep this masala paste aside.  In a heavy bottomed vessel heat oil.

Add finely chopped onions, saute till they turn pink.  This is followed by adding tomatos.

Add in veggies, stir in turmeric and salt.  Cover and cook for ten minutes on simmer flame till veggies bond with rest.

After ten minutes, open the lid, add tamarind extract and cover the lid.

Let this cook for ten minutes on high flame. When vegetables get almost cooked , add mashed (pressure cooked) dal.  Keep on simmer flame.

Now mash the rice separtely and add it to veggie-dal combo

Keep stirring.

When bisibela baath froths up to top (like in rasam), add in masala paste.  Adjust salt.

In a separate pan, temper with rai, curry leaves, red chilly, hing.  Transfer them to the vessel.

Mix well, add in finely chopped coriander leaves.  Serve hot, drizzling in desi ghee!!

Enjoyyyyy!! Happy cooking!!!!!