Bisibele bhath

– the Sunday Brunch

As for most of us Sundays are the days to unwind and for us the breakfast is almost missing. It is more relaxed….., waking up late at our own time and it is almost noon.. too late for a breakfast! right… So the last weekend one of those typical Sundays, I made Bisibele bhath for our brunch..


Bisisbele bhath is a wholesome rice and daal based dish native to Karnataka in South India. It is very aromatic with a unique blend of spice – the masala and is very healthy. You can use any mix of vegetables in this dish. Many people make it mushy and flowy with generous amount of water used while cooking the rice and daal. I like it a little dry so I use less water in my dish. One can make their own bisibele masala. However it is also available readymade in stores. With the right masala even an amateur cook cannot missout on that authentic taste. Here is my recipe for this yummy delicious dish-

Ingredients:

2 cups rice

1 cup toor daal (pigeon peas,split peas)

½ cup chopped scallion

1 potato cubed

1 tomato chopped

1 cup lima beans
1 cup cauliflower florets

2 dry red pepper

½ cup grated dry coconut

½ cup jaggery
1 cup tamarind juice
A pinch of hing (asafetida)

3 tbsp roasted cashew nuts to garnish

Salt to taste
For tempering:

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp urad daal

1 tsp turmeric

3 tbs oil

2 tsp bisibela masala powder (dry roast 1 cup chana daal, 2 red pepper dried, 1 tsp black peppercorn, 1 tsp fenugreek, 1 tsp coriander seeds, One 2” cinnamon stick, a pinch of hing- grind them to a fine powder in a coffee grinder)

Method:
Cook rice and daal together in a pressure cooker and keep aside.
In a wok heat oil and add the tempering ingredients. The add vegetables in order of scallions (keep aside a little for garnish), onions, cauliflower, lima beans and tomatoes. Cook until tender. Now add the tamarind juice jaggery coconut and salt masala and cook until it comes together and thickens. Add hing and stir in the cooked rice-daal mixture and mix well. Cook on simmer for a couple of mins until all ingredients blend well. Remove from flame, garnish with roasted cashews and chopped scallions and serve hot.
Serves 6-8

Serving suggestions: Serve hot topped with a tsp of ghee and papad and pickle of choice for the side. Although this is the traditional way to serve, one can be more creative and serve with any choice of fresh vegetable salad. Here I served with cut tomato and zucchini for a refreshing nutritious Sunday brunch.

Reposting foor Garnish the dish event by Nitya and Pavitra at Innovative Inlaws