Bisibele Bath

Thanks Nirmala for this recipe!

Ingredients:

For Masala:

coriander seeds- 5 tsp

channa dal - 4 tsp

methi seeds- 1/2 tsp

red chillies-6-7 depending on size, spice level you need

black pepper- about 6

cloves- 4-6

cinnamon- 2cm small stick

cardamom- 2-3 pods

dry coconut- 2 tbsp (you can use frozen coconut too - see special instructions if you choose to do this.)

1 tsp oil to fry masala

For seasoning-

2 tbsp ghee

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

curry leaves

coriander leaves

cashews - few broken pieces to your liking

hing powder

For rice-

1 cup rice (sona masoori), 1/2 cup toor dal

tamcon paste- 1 rounded tsp

turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp

salt to taste

water to boil veggies and tamarind

Method:

1. Pressure cook rice and toor dal together with thrice the amount water and keep aside (so 4.5 cups water for this amount.)

2. In boiling water in a large pan, add tiny diced green beans, carrots, chayote squash, sauteed onions (ideally pearl), tamcon paste, turmeric powder, salt and let them boil until tender. For boiling do not use too much water since rice will be added without draining vegetables first. I used about an inch excess water. Optional veggies are cauliflower, bell pepper.

3. For masala powder, fry all ingredients with 1 tsp oil until channa dal turns a dark pink. Remove from heat, transfer to a separate plate and allow spices to cool. Grind to a fine powder. If using frozen coconut, then thaw coconut and lightly fry separately after you had fried the spice mixture. It should dry out and turn just a shade darker. Allow it to cool separately from the spice mixture. Grind the spices alone first to a fine powder. Then add the coconut and grind everything together.

4. Add the ground masala powder or paste (you can dissolve spices in a small amount of water) into the tamarind water with cooked vegetables and let it boil for a few more minutes, until you get a nice smell.

5. Then lower the flame to low medium, add the cooked rice, dal mixture [ mash a bit before adding to the vegetables ], and keep mixing till well set. Consistency should be a little loose as it tends to get hard/ thicken because of the dal in it. May add some boiling water to loosen up if needed.

6. Season the ingredients listed and garnish.

Goes well with potato curry, papad or chips.