Bisi bele bath recipe with step by step photos – Bisi bele bath is a delicious complete and healthy meal of rice, lentils and vegetables. It is one of the most popular traditional dish from the Karnataka cuisine.
Bisi bele bath is so popular that you get it so easily in the South Indian restaurants in bangalore.
Whilst living in bangalore, whenever we would visit MTR chain of restaurants, without fail, we would always order bisi bele bath. We had to, as even though I had an idea on how this dish is prepared, I actually never got to making it.
To make bisi bele bath
- Making bisi bele bath recipe is a long process. You have to cook the rice, the lentil and the vegetables separately and then mix everything. Well its just not mixing everything and there you go. No… There is more. The flavors and the taste make all the difference. The flavors come from the Bisi bele bath powder and the tempering added towards the end.
The Bisi bele bath masala is a special spice blend that gives a lot of depth and flavor to this dish. You can use ready bisi bele bath masala or make the spice blend at home.
- You can also cook the dal first and then add the rice and veggies in it and cook them together in the pressure cooker. Sometimes I do it this way too to cut down on the time and steps. In this post, I have shown the traditional way of cooking everything separately.
- The vegetables that are added to bisi bele bhath recipe are carrots, turnips, green peas, french beans, knol kohl, capsicum (green bell pepper), chayote squash (chow chow). You can also add your own choice of vegetables.
I have loosely adapted this bisibelebath recipe from Pratibha’s Blog.
Step by Step Bisi Bele Bath Recipe
I have divided the entire step by step bisibelebath recipe into 4 steps for ease of understanding and making it.
- Step 1 –Â cooking the rice
- Step 2 –Â cooking lentils and veggies
- Step 4 –Â making bisi bele bath
- Step 4 – tempering bisibelebath
Lets start with step 1 – cooking the rice
1. rinse the rice and peanuts first. Another option is too skip the peanuts at this step and fry them in the tempering/tadka and then add.
2. add 2.5 cups water.
3. soak both rice and peanuts for 20 to 25 mins in the water.
4. Add salt and keep on the stove top and cook the rice. No need to cover the pan with the lid.
5. simmer till the rice grains are cooked well. The peanuts would also cook well. Cover and keep aside.
Cooking lentils and veggies
6. soak 1 tbsp tightly packed tamarind in 1/2 or 2/3 cup warm water for 25 to 30 mins.
7. later squeeze and extract the tamarind pulp. Strain and keep aside.
8. in a pressure cooker, add rinsed tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils, turmeric powder and 2 cups water.
9. Pressure cook the dal for on a high flame for 8 to 9 whistles.
10. once the pressure settles down on its own, mash the dal and keep aside.
11. in another pan, take the chopped veggies and sprinkle 1/4 tsp rock salt.
12. pour 2 cups water and stir.
13. cover and allow the veggies to cook till they are tender and cooked well, yet still retain their shape.
Making bisi bele bath
14. now in the cooker with the mashed dal, add the cooked rice and peanuts.
15. then add the cooked vegetables along with its stock.
16. stir lightly.
17. add 1 cup water.
18. add tamarind pulp.
19. mix everything well gently, taking care the rice grains do not break.
20. now in another pan or bowl, take 3 tbsp bisi bele bath masala and 1 cup water.
21. stir very well. The masala tend to stick to the back of the spoon while stirring, so scrape it off and add to the mixture.
22. now add this bisi bele bath + water mixture in the cooker.
23. add desiccated coconut.
24. Â stir well. Also add salt as required keeping in mind that we have added salt to the vegetables and rice.
25. keep the cooker without the lid on the stove top and simmer on a low flame for about 20 to 25 mins. Add more water if required. Keep on stirring often so that the bisi bele bath does not burn at the base. the raw aroma of the tamarind has to go away and the flavors should be blended well. Cover and keep aside once done.
Tempering bisi bele bath
26. in an another pan or the tadka/tempering pan, heat ghee or oil first. Crackle the mustard seeds and then temper the curry leaves, marathi moggu, dry red chilies, cashews and asafoetida (hing).
27. pour this tempering in the prepared bisibelebath. Stir and cover the cooker with its lid for about 5 mins, so that the tempering flavors infuse in the bisibelebath.
28. later Serve the bisi bele bath with potato chips or banana chips/wafers or fried papads or raita or yogurt. If you prefer, top with a bit of ghee while serving bisi bele bath.
More popular rice recipes
Bisi Bele Bath (Authentic Karnataka Style)
Ingredients
for the rice
- 1 cup regular rice (i used sona masuri rice)
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- ¼ teaspoon rock salt (sendha namak)
- 2.5 cups water for cooking the rice.
for the dal
- ¾ cup arhar dal (tuvar dal or pigeon pea lentils)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 cups water
cooking veggies for bisi bele bath
- 1 medium carrot or 100 to 120 grams carrot
- 18 to 20 french beans or 80 to 100 grams french beans
- ½ cup peas (matar) or 60 to 70 grams peas
- 3 to 4 small brinjals (baingan or aubergine) or 80 to 100 grams baingan
- 1 medium onion or 3 to 4 shallots or 80 to 100 grams onions or shallots
- 1 medium tomato or 80 to 100 grams tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tightly packed seedless tamarind soaked in ½ or ⅔ cup water
- 2 to 2.5 cups water for cooking the vegetables
- 1 cup water added later
- 3 tablespoon bisi bele bath masala dissolved in 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon rock salt for cooking the vegetables
- 1 teaspoon rock salt added later or add as required
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened desiccated coconut
for tempering bisi bele bath
- 3 to 4 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1 or 2 marathi moggu (optional)
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 2 to 3 dry byadagi/bedgi chilies or dry red chilies
- 12 to 15 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 18 to 20 cashews
Instructions
cooking rice for bisi bele bath
- Rinse the rice and peanuts first. Add 2.5 cups water.
- Soak both rice and peanuts for 20 to 25 mins. Add salt.
- Keep on the stove top and cook the rice.
- If required, then you can add some more water while cooking the rice.
- Bring to a boil and then lower the flame. Simmer till the rice grains are cooked well. The peanuts would also cook well. Cover and keep aside.
cooking lentils and veggies
- Soak 1 tbsp tightly packed tamarind in 1/2 or 2/3 cup warm water for 25 to 30 mins.
- Later squeeze and extract the tamarind pulp.
- In a pressure cooker, add rinsed tuvar dal/pigeon pea lentils, turmeric powder and 2 to 2.5 cups water.
- Pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles or till the dal is cooked soft.
- Once the pressure settles down on its own, mash the dal and keep aside.
- In another pan, take the chopped veggies and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour 2 cups water and stir.
- Cover and allow the veggies to cook till they are cooked and still retain their shape.
making bisi bele bath
- Now in the cooker with the mashed dal, add the cooked rice and peanuts.
- Then add the cooked vegetables along with its stock. Stir lightly.
- Add 1 cup water. Add tamarind pulp. Mix everthing well taking care the rice grains do not break.
- Now in another pan or bowl, take the 3 tbsp bisi bele bath masala and 1 cup water.
- Stir very well. The masala tend to stick to the back of the spoon while stirring, so scrape it off and add to the mixture.
- Now add this bisi bele bath + water mixture in the cooker.
- Add desiccated coconut. Add 1 tsp salt or as required. Stir well.
- Keep the cooker without the lid on the stove top and simmer on a low flame for about 20 to 25 mins. Add more water if required. Keep on stirring often. The raw aroma of the tamarind has to go away and all the flavors should be blended well. Cover and keep aside once done.
tempering bisi bele bath
- In a another pan or the tadka (tempering) pan, heat ghee or oil first. Crackle the mustard seeds and then temper the curry leaves, marathi moggu, dry red chilies, cashews and asafoetida till the dry red chilies change color and the cashews turn a light golden. Don't burn the spices.
- Pour this tempering in the prepared bisi bele bath. Stir and cover the cooker with its lid for about 5 mins, so that the tempering flavors infuse in the bisi bele bath.
- Later Serve the bisi bele bath with potato or banana chips/wafers or fried papads. While serving you can top with some ghee if you prefer.
Hi Dasana,
I tried bisibele bhath recipe, it turned out super awesome. Thank you for the amazing recipe. You are a ????.
hi malvika, thanks a lot for this awesome feedback. glad to read. thanks again and most welcome.
what is marathi moggu?
marathi mogu is a spice and are known as kapok buds in english.
Hi Guys,
I was using your android app previously, i was wonderful. But recent past i dont find it plystore, would greate if you share us the link.
Thanks Sunil. We have deleted the app as we could not manage it well. You have to rely on this website for recipes.
Wow that’s a great one, thank you so much for sharing,my husband loves it.i made the powder from your post, that is wonderful.keep up the good work.
thanks again gokilavani. nice to know that the bisi bele bath powder recipe was good.
Wow wonderful recipe with superb clear demo, thank you so much for sharing this recipe,my husband loves it and keep asking for more .
thanks a lot gokilavani. nice to know. happy cooking.
oh my God , how much effort you have taken ?
pranita, this is the traditional version and hence time taken is more.
Thanks for the recipe Amit. I did not add coconut grating. Hope it turns out well. Fingers crossed.
coconut can be skipped. i hope the recipe turned out good for you.
Today evening I made this recipe…My husband and whole family is really happy to eat this..Everyone is praising and at same moment I am writing this.everyone is saying thanks to you..
thats so nice to know renuka. thanks for sharing such a lovely comment. i should say thanks to you as you have also made an effort in making the recipe. making bisi bele bath in the traditional way does take time. please also convey my regards to your family.
This is awesome …
Bang on!! We regularly prepare this by following your recipe and it turns out yummy and perfect!! Thanks for sharing
Welcome Shaily. Glad to know this.
Im regular eater of Bisibele bath .Thanks for sharing recipes of bisibelebath ..it has come out really yummy.The procedure mentioned for preparation is helpfull for bachelors .
Welcome Sohana. Glad to know that you liked Bisi bele bath recipe.
Thanks alot for the receipe… Turned out very yummy… Your receipes are very helpful for a beginner like me.. thanks alot…
Welcome Swathi. Thanks for your positive feedback.
Oh my God!!! Your recipes are amazing!!! This one turned out to be absolutely perfect!!!!! Such a hearty wholesome meal!!! The only different thing I did was that I used store bought bisi bele bhath masala (MTR)…
Welcome Prajakti. Thanks a lot for your positive feedback. Glad to know that you liked the recipe.
Can this be cooked with basmati rice ?
you can try souravi.
I tried this recipe today and it turned out very tasty. Every1 in my family liked it. Thanks so much for this detailed information. I would suggest all other people to pls try this recipe Bcoz it’s very yum!
thankyou for your kind and positive words smita 🙂
Hi,
Thank you so much for the recipe.I tried this yesterday and it came out very well:) ur site is encouraging many ppl like me to cook.Pls continue the good job!.(i tried ur kutti vangaya kura recipe also..i posted a doubt but it did not come in the site)
thankyou sindhuja could you post your query again so we could reply you.
we tried this today. amazing:):) thank you madam…
Hi can I cook veg n dal toghther and rice separate , since in my family they like to it like that , can u tell me how plz
if you cook veg and dal together, then the veggies will get overdone by the time the dal is cooked. you can cook the dal first. then add the veggies to the cooked dal. cook till the veggies are done.
Hi thanks for your yummy recipe…kindly share how to prepare bisi Bella bath powder…
thankyou so much beevi bise bele batha masala powder recipe is already there on our food blog click here for the link to the recipe.
Thanks a million for this authentic recipe, although i am from Karntaka but from northern part, where cooking is much different than south of Karnataka. I always wanted to make the bb bath the way i had tasted it in a bangaloreons house. In US lot of people do it in a short cut way which doesnt taste as original. I prepared with your instructions step by step and it came out so well, my hubby said it reminded him of kadambam restaurant, all thanks to your effort is posting the detailed instructions and measurements.
pleased to know this vidya glad you found them so authentic and thankyou for your honest and positive words 🙂
Thank you for your reply.Tried it yesterday and came out well and tasted really good. Only problem was not much gravy and was very thick.
In step 25 I think I went wrong and didnt add enough water,but will take care of it in the next preparation.Still children liked it and vanished from plate in no time,
Another superb item added to my recipe list.
thanks a lot again.
okay. some addition of water could have made the consistency right. sure next time you can add more water. welcome and thanks 🙂
I am a novice to cooking,started to cook a year back after loosing my dear wife.
After seeing this pics and reading your detailed note of the recipe I am 100% confident now to try this item.
If they ask to rate it on a scale of 5, will give 10 stars for this recipe.
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww,what a way to give a recipe.
Wish everyone gives like this.
Will cook today and give the feed back.
Thanks,Thanks,Thanks,Thanks,Thanks for sharing.
surely try and let us know ramasubramaniam and sorry to know about your wife. god bless you and you are welcome.
Hello Amit,
Please add me in your email subscription list. Would love to read all your recipes as soon as you publish them. Many thanks. N u are doing a gr8 job. Love all your recipes.
thanks a lot weeni. you can subscribe by clicking on this link – https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=VegRecipesOfIndia&loc=en_US
Hello.. Im a big fan of all your recipes… I have recently finished my graduation and I have a great passion for cooking.. The way you explain makes me understand and prepare them in a much easier way.. I tried this Bisi Bele Bath at home and it is undoubtedly the best. I just love the way you explain everything. Only issue was the rice became much softer when I mixed with the Dal, although the grains were separate when the rice was cooked..
Not sure where I went wrong.. Please correct me..
Thanks,
Sravani
thanks a lot sravani. in bisi bele bath the rice has to be soft. so nothing wrong with what happened with the dish, when you made it 🙂
I am very great fan of u amit i regularly follow u r dishes.recently i tried bise bele bath it realy camed out very very tasty thanku amit
pleased to know this swathi 🙂 thankyou for trying them and you are always welcome.
Very nice recipe
Yummyyyyyyyy
thankyou likhitha 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. The bisi bele bath seems to be very tasty.
thankyou laxmi 🙂
Nic thanks
welcome sony 🙂
Hi dassana, My husband was insisting me to prepare this recipe recipe. Though I didn’t taste this dish till today I tried ur recipe recipe. It turned out very good. My husband appreciate me. Thank you so much much.
pleased to know your husband liked the recipe 🙂 thankyou so much and you are always welcome.