Mangalore cuisine---------Bisi Bele Bhath (Hot Mixed Vegetable and lentil Rice)

Bisi Bele Bhath is a very authentic and famous Rice dish of Karnatake state.This dish is found in restaurants who serves udapi cuisine.Bisi Bele Bhath which literally means Hot Lentil Rice in kanada.I feel is a exteneded version of Sambhar or you can also call it as spicy healthy and tasty khichadi.It is basically server with curd raita ,hapla(papad) and potato chips.
In Bangalore the famous MTR restaurants serves very tasty Bisi Bele Bhath in their famous south Indian Thali.

There are many ways of preparing this recipe,basically this recipe is a combination of many spices,vegetables and lentil.For this we required a special Masala powder,traditinally we dry roast all the spices and ground them together to prepare Bisi Bele Bhath powder.But now a days you can get veraity of these powders in stores easily.but some how i feel home made powders flavour and taste really comes  good.

My daughter loves Bisi Bele Bhath very much.whenver we visit my mom's place for lunch she will definetly make Bisi Bele Bhath for her granddaughter.My mom makes very tasty one.
As i said earlier there are many ways of preparing bisibelebhath,here i am posting the one which my sister prepares it.this recipe is not very spicy yet very flavourful and the method i like it .Really my sister makes very tasty and authentic Bisi Bele Bhath (one will won't stop licking their fingers).
Ingredients:

• 2 cup cooked sonamasuri rice
• 2 cups mixed vegetable like Beans,Carrot,peas,Potato(optional),Capsicum,zuchuni/chiyote squash etc
• 1/2 cup cooked Toor dal
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice

• salt
• 2" jaggary
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 tsp Bisi Bele Bhath powder
• coriander leaves
• 2 small onion (optional)
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1-2 green chilies
• seasoning:
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1/2 tsp channa dal
• 1 tsp peanut
• 1/2 tsp cashews(optional)
• 1/4 tsp hing(asafoetida)
• 1-2 red chili broken into pieces
• curry leaves

For Bisi Bele Bhath Powder
Ingredients:

• 2 tsp channa dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• few fenugreek seeds may be 4
• 5-6 red chilies
• 1 tsp dry coconut(optional)
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 3/4 tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
• 2 cloves
• 1 "cinnamon
• 2 cardamon
• 1 tsp poppy seeds(Gasgase)
• Few asafoetida(kada hing)

  Roast everything together except poppy seeds using 1 tsp oil .
  Dry roast sesame seeds separate and  dry ground along with above ingredients into powder .

Method for preparing Bisi Bele Bhath:

Take 2 cup of sonamasuri rice ,wash and put 7 cups of water(according to your rice,little more) and cook it in pressure cooker.In separate container but same time cook Toor dal.for this wash toor dal 2-3 times ,then add 1 cup water .
wash,clean and cut all the vegetables including 1onion, and 1 tomato into medium size and cook this along with dal adding little turmeric powder,salt and split green chilies.

Clean and cut remaining onion and tomato into thin long pieces or cubes.
Soak 3" tamarind in 1 cup of water for 1/2 hour.squeeze tamarind and extract tamarind juice.

Take a wok add tamarind pulp,remaining salt, turmeric powder,jaggary and stir them for 1 minute.
Now add cooked vegetable and dal and let it simmer for 3 -4 minutes .

Finally add Bisi Bele Bhath powder,cooked rice and stir them properly,then add tomatoes and let it again simmer for 5-10 minutes.Keep stirring in between so that it won't burn at bottom of the pan.If you feel more water is need to be added add 1 cup more.

Usually this rice dish is suppose to be little liquid,but as we are adding dal after the rice become cold it becomes thick.for this before serving just reheat the bhath adding little water,and as we keep adding water you should also check salt and spiciness.

Take a pan add all seasoning,when mustard start spluttering add onion and stir fry till onion turns light brown.
Put this above and garnish the Bhath with coriander leaves.

Serve this with potato chips and curd raitha.