Bisibele Bhath

Bisibele Bhath is a classic one-pot meal from the Karnataka State in India. It literally means “Hot Lentil Rice” in Kannada, the state language. It is made with toor dal (skinned and split pigeon peas), rice, vegetables, and an aromatic spice blend. Though the spice blend is readily available in Indian grocery stores, freshly made spice blend imparts a gorgeous fragrance to the dish. I highly recommend using Ghee (clarified butter) here, as its nutty flavour lifts the dish to a new level. This is traditionally served sprinkled with Khara Boondi (spicy chickpea flour snack; easily available in Indian grocery stores), and accompanied with a bowl of plain yoghurt.

Serves 4 to 5

For spice blend:
Ghee (clarified butter) for roasting spices
2 whole green cardamoms
2 whole cloves
1-inch/2.5-cm stick cinnamon
4-6 black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
5-8 fresh curry leaves
10 whole dried red chilli peppers, stemmed (preferably Byadagi or Kashmiri red chillies)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon chana dal (skinned and split Bengal gram)
1 tablespoon urad dal (skinned and split black gram)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ cup/35g coarsely grated copra (dried coconut)

For Bisibele Bhath:
½ cup/115g raw white rice
½ cup/120g toor dal (skinned and split pigeon peas)
¼ teaspoon de-seeded tamarind chunk
2 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
¾ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped unsalted cashew nuts
5-8 fresh curry leaves
2 dried red chilli peppers, stemmed and halved
½ teaspoon asafoetida
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch/6-mm cubes
12-15 French beans, stringed and chopped into ½-inch/1-cm lengths
1/3 cup/60g fresh or frozen shelled green peas
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Make the spice-blend:

Place ½ teaspoon Ghee in a small pan over low heat. Roast the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns until fragrant. Transfer the spices to a bowl.
Add the mustard seeds to the same pan. When the seeds begin to sputter, add the curry leaves and stir until crisp. Transfer to the bowl.
Separately roast the red chilli peppers, coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and copra in the same pan, adding a few drops of Ghee as needed, until fragrant and a shade darker in colour. Transfer to the bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Place all the roasted ingredients in a spice grinder and blend to make as smooth a powder as possible.

Make the Bisibele Bhath:

Separately wash the rice and toor dal in water. Drain well, and set aside.
To make the tamarind juice, place the tamarind in a small non-reactive bowl. Add 1 cup/250ml warm water. Mash the tamarind with your fingers to dissolve as much of the pulp in the water as possible. Gather up the remaining non-dissolvable pulp, squeeze out the juice and discard.
Heat the Ghee in a deep, thick-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, add the cashew nuts and stir until they turn golden. Add the curry leaves and red chilli peppers. Stir for a few seconds or until fragrant.
Add the asafoetida and turmeric powder. Give a good stir. Add the toor dal and 5 cups/1L250ml water. Partly cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the toor dal is half-cooked.
Add the rice, carrot, beans, peas, tomato, tamarind juice and the spice blend, with extra 2 cups/500ml water. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for another 25 minutes, until the toor dal has disintegrated and the rice and vegetables are soft. Towards the end of cooking, add salt to taste.
Remove from the heat while the mixture is still slightly runny. Stir in the coriander leaves. Serve hot.