Bisi Bele Bath (Authentic Karnataka Style)

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

1. 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.

2. 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.
3. 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 – cooking the rice
• Step 2 – cooking lentils and veggies
• Step 4 – 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.  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

1. Vangi bath
2. Curd rice
3. Tomato rice
4. Sambar rice
5. Pudina rice

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Bisi Bele Bath (Authentic Karnataka Style)

4.85 from 38 votes

By Dassana Amit

Bisi bele bath is a delicious and healthy complete meal of rice, lentils and vegetables. Bisibelebath is one of the popular recipes from the Karnataka cuisine.

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

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Cuisine Karnataka

Course: Main Course

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Servings 6 to 7

Units

Ingredients

for the rice

• ▢ 1 cup regular rice (i used sona masuri rice)
• ▢ ¼ cup raw peanuts
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) (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 (edible and food grade) for cooking the vegetables
• ▢ 1 teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) 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

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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.

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