Bisi Bele Bhat/ Rice and split lentil porridge

Bisi = hot, Bele = Lentil, Bhat = a spicy rice dish. This is a spicy treat, a complete one pot meal which fills one up for a whole day. Made on special occasions for its taste, this dish is sure to make your guests go wow!!! when you serve this. This recipe originally is from Karnataka, India. Every household will have their own recipe, I have borrowed from two families to make a new one of my own. This recipe has been passed down from mother to daughter from ages, however, I have taken a ingredient or two from my mother in law as well :D.

Prep time - 1 hour

Cook time - 1/2 hour to 2 1/2 depending on the method adopted.

servings - 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1. Split yellow lentils (toor dal) - 1 cup

2. Raw Rice - 1 cup (use Indian rice (sona masoori), it is less starchy which is good for this recipe).

All the vegetables, roughly chopped. The choice of vegetables are of your own, you can add a wide array of them. Try experimenting with them, however, do not add extremely watery vegetables and bitter gourd.

3. Potato - 1 small

4. Green beans fresh.frozen - 1/4 cup

5. Green peas fresh/frozen - 1/4 cup

6. Carrots - 1/4 cup

7. Bottle gourd or snake gourd or pumpkin or all of them or any combination - 1/4 cup

8. Cilantro - a handful

9. Tamarind Paste - to taste or 1  to 2 tsp.

10. Salt to taste

11. Water - as required.

12. Groundnuts/peanuts shelled - 1/4 cup

For dry roasting (bisi bele bhat masala): (this will make more than sufficient for one use can be used for making sambar too. Also adjust quantities according to your taste) If you have no patience to make this powder, use store bought masala..

1. Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup

2. Cumin seeds - 1/4 cup

3. Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp

4. Poppy seeds - 2.5 tsp

5. Urad Dal (split black gram) - 1 to 1.5 tsp

6. Chana dal (split chickpeas) - 1 to 1.5 tsp

7. Raw rice - 1/2 tsp

8. Dry red chillies - 8 to 10 (depending on how hot you want it. if you like it less hot, reduce the amount)

9. Cloves - 4 to 5 or powder, 1/4 tsp

10. Cinnamon - 1 big piece broken or 1/2 tsp powder

11. Star Anise - just 2 segments of  the flower. use max 1/2 of a flower (optional)

12. Dry coconut flakes/powder/pieces - 1/4 cup
13. Black pepper whole or powder - 1/2 tsp 

Tempering:

1. Oil - 2 tbsp

2. Curry leaves - 1 string

3. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

4. Asfoetida - 1/4 tsp

5. Pearl onions - 1/2 bag or finely slice a medium onion. (Optional) 
6. Dry red chillies - 2 broken into half

Method:

1. Wash lentils and rice and set aside.

2. On low medium heat, dry roast all the masala ingredients one after the other, roasting coconut in the end. Let it cool to touch and make a dry powder of it. 

3. If not using onions, make the tempering in the pressure cooker and add all the vegetables to it one after the other and saute them for sometime by adding slat so that they sweat. Add pea nuts, rice, lentil, tamarind paste  prepared powder and more than sufficient water, all the ingredients must have drowned well, when you put your hand vertically on the surface of the ingredients, water must immerse your fingers. set it on the stove for upto 4 whistles, depending on how fast the lentils generally cook for you. Your bisi bele bhat is ready after the cooker cools.

4. If using Onions, saute them separately and mix them in after the bisibele bhat cooks.

5. If you do not have a pressure cooker. Soak the lentils for atleast 2 hours in hot water and follow the regular procedure of making this recipe. It will take minimum 2 hours for the lentils to cook completely.. you will need patience with this method. Add a glass more water than pressure cooking method and let it cook om medium heat till done.

Serving suggestions:

This goes well with a yogurt or yogurt vegetable dip called "raita". It can also be served with spicy boondi (chickpea flour spicy mixture). 

Tips:

1. Do not use tomato, it alters the taste to a very large extent.

2. Do not use, garlic or ginger, does not go well with this recipe.

3. Do not use vegetables like brinjal/eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, corn and etc.

4. If using pearl onions, please take the core out before you cook them, some may not like the taste of it.
5. Shortcut, use smabar powder in lieu of masala. it may not taste as fresh n spicy, however, is a quick fix.