Name: Bisi bele bath (curried lentils and rice)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup short grained rice* (or any other Indian rice variety); ¾ cup toor dal (washed throughly); 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, drumsticks, French beans); 2-3 fresh chilis; 6-8 curry leaves; 1 tbsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp asafetida (hing); 1 tsp mustard seeds; 2 tbsp tamarind pulp; 2-3 tbsp cashews; 2-3 tbsp ghee; 2-3 tbsp oil; salt to taste; 2 tbsp chana dal; 2 tbsp urad dal; 4-5 dry red chilis; 3-4 cloves; 2-3 green cardamom; 1½ inches cardamom; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2-3 tbsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp poppy seeds; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds); 1 tsp turmeric powder; ½ tsp asafetida; 1 tsp nutmeg powder; ½ cup grated coconut (roasted)

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Bisi bele bath, that literally translates to hot lentils and rice, is a popular recipe from Karnataka that also happens to be a house favorite. This rice recipe is easy to make, delicious and extremely comforting

The best part part about London’s weather is that we get to experience lovely showers even on hot days in summer. This means we get to enjoy both, summer and rainy day foods. While sometime back we were sipping on chilled beverages, today I am enjoying a plateful of bisi bele bath. This delicious and comforting, curried rice and lentils recipe from Karnataka, is a favorite in our house. Back in Mumbai, one of our family’s favorite places to have it was at a small south Indian restaurant called Ram Ashray. They serve lip smacking bisi bele bath along with raita and fried papad. And it tastes so good that, I distinctively remember its taste. Furthermore, since the husband has spent a good amount of his time in Bangalore, he too loves this rice recipe.

Hence, with the weather being gray and wet this morning, a craving for this comforting rice set in. To make this Karnataka style bisi bele bath, I have first make a spice mix, that is used to flavor it. While the list of ingredients is lengthy, they are all easy to find whole spices. So, don’t worry if you want to make it at home and don’t have the ingredients, you could always get them from your Indian grocer. Once you have this mix ready, you will then have to cook the rice and dal separately and further cook them with the bisi bele baath powder. An additional tempering of curry leaves and cashews to the rice is like the jewel in the crown, of this recipe.

Bisi bele bath powder

The spice mix is also known as the bisi bele bath powder. You can easily make a large batch and store it in an air tight jar for later use, too. The freshly ground powder will stay well up to two months. However, I make my masala just before making the recipe. While it is an extra step and does take up some bit more of my time, but the freshly ground masala truly does magic to the recipe. So, you could choose either method that suits you better. But my advice would be, if you aren’t going to make this rice frequently, then making a small batch of the masala, just for one time use would make more sense. That’s because, the longer you are going to keep it bottled up, the less fragrant it is going to get.

On the other hand if you do not want to go the extra mile of making it at home, you can buy the ready made ones from Indian grocery stores, too. Even they do an authentic job of flavoring the rice and lentils, as well. This will also reduce your cooking and prepping time. Once you have the bisi bele bath powder handy, the process of cooking the rice and lentils with it is just a matter of 20 minutes. This rice recipe is such a comforting and delicious one that my mouth is watering even now thinking of the lunch we just had!

Serving suggestions

Like I said, the bisi belle bath is generally served alongside raita, pickle and papad. However, the rice is so flavorful in itself that you may not even need any of these. This rice is loaded with vegetables, flavored with an amazing spice mix and topped with a delicious tempering. Everything in it screams yummy and cozy! So, if you are planning to try this recipe, I’d love to know how you liked it. You can share your feedback in the comments section below. You could also share your food pictures with me over on Instagram. I sincerely hope that you are going to love this as much as we do.

Eat hearty!