BISI BELE BAATH (Rice Variety with Tur Dal and Veggies)

Spicy, traditional, authentic delicious dish from Karnataka, India. A typical rice and lentil combination dish with a generous mix of veggies, giving you lot of flexibility to choose from among a variety of vegetables. While rice, lentil and vegetables contribute the most to the nutrition factor; curry leaves, asafoetida and tamarind play dual roles to give not just nutrition but also that unique flavour. However, the secret behind the awesome taste of this dish lies in the spice powder.

Scroll down and get started….to discover more about this dish, also known as “Bisi Bele Huliyanna” or “Hot Lentil Sour Rice”.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Time taken:  40 min

Serves:  4 persons

Bisi Bele Baath topped by its famous side dish
Khara Boondhi attracts fussy eaters better!

Ingredients

For cooking:

Rice                 100 gms

Tur Dal            100 gms

Water              500 ml

Oil                   1 tbsp

Turmeric pwd A pinch

Beans              50 gms  (chopped to 1” long pieces)

Potato              1 no. (chopped to ½” cubes)

Double Beans  30 gms

Carrot              1 no. (chopped to 1” long pieces)

Knol khol         1 no. (chopped to 1” long pieces)

For preparing masala:

Tamarind paste           1 tbsp (or soak 1 lime size ball of tamarind and extract the juice)

Salt to taste                 1 tsp

Spice powder              2 tbsp approx. (refer "Bisi Bele Baath Powder" recipe in this website)

Water                          50 ml

For seasoning:

Oil                               2 tbsps

Mustard seeds             1 tsp

Bengal gram dal           1 tsp

Black gram dal             1 tsp

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Onion                          1 no. (chopped to ½” cubes)

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.

Capsicum                    1 no. (chopped to ½” cubes)

Tomatoes                    2 nos. (chopped to ½” cubes)

For garnishing:

Ghee                            1 tbsp

Coriander leaves          2 tbsps

Directions:

Wash rice and tur dal separately and thoroughly in water. Drain out the water.

Put 300 ml of water, washed toor dal, few drops of oil and a pinch of turmeric powder into a pressure cooker and keep it for boiling. When the dal is half cooked (this can be known by pressing the dal with your fingers. The dal just splits without getting mashed) add all vegetables, salt (listed above under “for cooking”) and washed rice. Mix them well; add another 200 ml of water. Now close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook upto 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let it cool.

Put tamarind paste in a bowl. Dilute it to juice consistency by adding 50 ml of water.  To this add salt and bisi bele bath powder. Mix them well. Boil this mixture in a small thick vessel or skillet on low flame for 5 to 10 min. If the mixture becomes too thick, add some more water, mix well and again keep for boiling till it reaches “gojju” consistency.

By now, the pressure in the cooker would have subsided. Remove the lid. Add this boiled mixture into the cooker, stir the contents well and again boil it for another 10 min. Switch off the flame. While this is boiling, prepare the seasoning. For this,

Heat oil in to a kadai. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle, add bengal gram dal followed by black gram dal. When they turn golden brown in colour, add asafoetida, curry leaves, chopped onions, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté till onions turn transparent and golden brown. Now add chopped capsicum. Continue sautéing till capsicum is just cooked and feels crisp and crunchy. Don’t overcook capsicum. Now add chopped tomatoes. Stir for 2 or 3 min. till the tomatoes are slightly cooked and the rawness disappears. Do not overcook tomatoes either. Switch off the flame. Pour this seasoning on to the boiling bisi bele bhaath in the pressure cooker to form a top layer. Do not mix this till you start serving.

Garnish with ghee and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Bisi Bele Baath is now ready.

Serve it steaming hot topped with a spoonful of ghee with fried papad, potato chips, fresh khara boondi, raitha or salad giving the baath cool company.

Tete - a - Tete:

Broken wheat may also be used in place of white rice. Similarly rice can be substituted by Poha or Avalakki. Poha needs to be soaked for about 30 min. before mixing and boiling with cooked lentil and veggies. Generally, green gram dal is used instead of tur dal while making Bisi Bele Baath using poha.

Ensure Tur dal retains its shape even after it is cooked.

Hard vegetables are preferred for this dish

Recipe contributed by nonagenarian Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy, an expert cook

Few other recipes contributed by Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy:
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Pulgura (Huli Soppu) or Greens Chutney
Sambar Powder
Rasam Powder
Menthyada Hittu (Fenugreek Powder)

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  

Also view :
Snack Recipes
Dessert Recipes

Side Dish Recipes

Breakfast Recipes

Rice Varieties

Gojju Varieties

Spice Powders

Sambar Varieties    

Vangibath Powder

Heralekaayi Gojju 

Vangibath Powder

Tamarind Rice (Puliyogare / Hulianna)

Hey, come come, let’s review “Lunch Box”. Ondu nimisha (just a minute) )….you mean I meant that 2013 Bollywallah box? Oho….so sorry. We Archies (as we Architecture classmates fondly call ourselves) are boasting about the Bygone Box of our Ancient Architectural Class(ic) Era of 1981 !!

It’s not for nothing that we Archies often recall those historic lunch times during our college days. At the first tong of lunch bell, we hungry Archietots would run and quickly sit encircled on the lush green lawns of our campus courtyard. Amidst the many lunch boxes that quickly hovered in the centre for everyone to taste a spoonful of the others, there was “That One Box” which all of us would cast eyes on, pretty much like the most wanted winning card, one waits to grab in a game of cards. And the moment it landed, lo! the circle would suddenly morph itself into one long serpentine, yes a queue literally! to taste that much awaited dish in the dabba, so much so that often it’s “owner” Arati had to return home hungry. Realising her weeping daughter’s pitiable plight, Aunty started sending 2 dabbas, one for her dear daughter and another for us. 

After all, weren’t we too equal dearies of Aunty? We would promptly empty the dabba she used to send for us and as a kind gesture to thank Aunty, (not Arati :)) we would leave a few morsels for Arati (our return gift! J) hoping they can serve as tissues to wipe her tears!

This spicy, tangy , tasty dish commonly called as Hulianna derives its taste chiefly from “Tamarind” a major ingredient, yet not without its interplay with a whole lot of other spices. Sum of these spices equals a rich and complex flavour.

Famous as “prasadam” in temples and at home during festive occasions, Hulianna is the first dish that comes to our mind as a comfy takeaway during travel times or a quick recipe to fill early morning lunch boxes.  Gojju that is used to mix with rice for making this super dish can be prepared and stored in fridge for months!

Right below is a Perrfffect  Recipe of that much awaited dish - HULIANNA 

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Time required:  45 min (approx.)

Serves:  6 to 8 persons

Ingredients

To prepare Tamarind paste (wet):

Tamarind - 1/2 kg

Jaggery - 300 gm approx.  (powdered)

Oil - 1 cup (say 150 ml)

Salt to taste

Soak tamarind in just enough water (to cover tamarind) for an hour or so. Squeeze (and sieve if required) to extract thick paste.  Add jaggery, oil and salt. Boil for 20-30 min until thick and water evaporates.

To prepare Dry powder -1:

Red chillies                       1/2 kg (byadagi variety)

Corriander seeds             1/2 kg

Methi seeds                     100 gm

Jeera                               150 gm 

Mustard seeds                 100 gm

Black pepper                     50 gm

Roast chillies and pepper separately in a little oil (1 tbsp approx. )  Dry roast all other ingredients separately. Grind all to a smooth powder.  Add this powder to tamarind-jaggery paste.  

To prepare Dry powders-2:

Sesame                              150gm

Khuskhus                           100 gm

Black pepper                       50 gm

Dry roast sesame and khuskhus separately and grind to powder.  Roast pepper in a little oil and grind to powder. 

Other ingredients:

Dry copra                           1 no. (grated and powdered)

Asafoetida                          1 tsp

Turmeric                             1 tsp

Curry leaves                       1 bunch

Add dry powders-2 and all other ingredients to tamarind-jaggery paste and mix well.  Store this paste / gojju in an air tight ceramic or glass container.  

To prepare Hulianna:

Cook 1 cup (250 gms approx.) raw rice using 2 cups of water. When the pressure is reduced completely, remove cooked rice from the cooker and spread it on a plate. Let it cool. Now add salt as per your taste (2 tsps approx.) and 1 to 2 tbspns (approx.) tamarind paste to the cooked rice (quantity of paste to be used depends on your taste).  Mix well.

Its time now to prepare seasoning….Heat 3 tbsp oil and add 1 tsp of black mustard seeds.  When they splutter add 1 tbsp of peanuts and fry for a couple of minutes.  Add a pinch of asafoetida, 4 or 5 dry red chillies and a sprig of curry leaves.  Add this seasoning to rice mixture.  Mix well.

Hulianna is ready! Dear readers, It’s your turn now to enjoy!!

Tete – a – Tete

Tamarind is a powerful laxative for chronic constipation. How ironic that it is considered equally effective in treating chronic diarrhea too! Thiamine, a vital part of the vitamin family that helps improve nerve function is largely present in tamarind. 

A pod of tamarind when chewed can help overcome nausea and morning sickness.

Tamarind pulp can be used to lighten skin tone and brighten brassware.

Tamarind is known as “Imli” in Hindi, “Amli” in Gujarati, “Hunase” in Kannada, “Chintapandu” in Telugu, the list goes on…..!

Hulianna is also known by other terms like “Puliyogare”, “Gojjina Chitranna”, Huli Chitranna, Hunase Huli Chitranna and Tamarind Rice

Recipe contributed by by Smt. Pramila, Aunty of us - Archies and mother of my dear friend Arati
Rangaswamy. 

To read my poem penned for Arati, click link In search of an Archie

PULIYOGARE GOJJU (SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE)

Huge tree. Long drooping leaves. Curvy fruity poddies held together by a vast network. Each pod is well groomed with a hard outer shell and a soft inner pulp. Inner than inner lies those nutty brown seeds, hard to crack. Shed those seeds and the shell. Remainder reminds us, “Hey , don’t you remember? A wealth of health hidden in me has made me popular the world over, thanks to Vitamin B, C, E, hmmm…forgot how many more letters…wait I’ll be right back with left – overs :)”

That’s Tamarind for us, a tangy sweetie Fruitie. When used as spice, it is called Hydroxycitric acid (HCA). Use it raw as a fruit when ripe, in desserts, jams and sauces or dry and grind to use as spice. Makes the dish taste nice.

Dish type: Traditional Sauce

Time required: 20 min

Yield: 100 gms

Ingredients for sauce

Tamarind                    1 lime size

Jaggery powder          2 tbsps approx. (depends on individual taste)

Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.

Ingredients for Dry Frying

Red chillies                  10 nos. (5 nos. byadagi variety + 5 nos. Guntur variety)

Coriander seeds          4 tsps

Methi seeds                1 tsp

Cumin seeds                1 tsp

Black Pepper corns     1 tsp

Clove                          1 or 2 nos.

Turmeric                     A pinch

Dry coconut                3 tbsps (grated and powdered)

Turmeric pwd             A pinch

Black til seeds             2 tsp

Ingredients for seasoning:

Oil                               1 tbsp

Peanuts                       2 tsps

Mustard seeds             1 tsp

Channa dal                  1 tsp

Black gram dal            1 tsp

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Dry red chillies            2 to 3 nos.

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Directions:

Soak tamarind in water (enough to cover tamarind) for 2 hrs and squeeze to extract thick liquid.

Dry fry all ingredients listed above “for dry frying” separately and transfer each of them to a plate. When completely cooled, grind them to fine powder. Add this powder, salt and jaggery powder to tamarind liquid and mix them well.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add ingredients listed above “for seasoning” in the same order as listed. Now add tamarind liquid mix to the seasoning in the kadai. Let it boil well till the liquid turns thick enough to form paste like consistency. When done, switch off. When cool, transfer it to an air tight glass container.

Puliyogare Gojju is now ready.

Tete – a – Tete

Mix this with cooked and cooled rice, garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to make Puliyogare or Tamarind Rice

Recipe contributed by nonagenarian Smt. Lalithamma Ramamurthy

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog