South Indian Bisibele Bhaath

Some days when I want to empty my fridge of those veggies reaching their expiry date, I cook one of these - mixed vegetable soups, coconut curries or a mixed vegetable rice like Bisibele Bhaath. One pot meal with rice, lentils and vegetables, from the southern state of Karnataka. I find this rice dish quite comforting on rainy, wintry days.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup

Split Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 1/2 cup

Carrots - 2 medium

Green/French Beans - about 10

Green Peas (frozen) - about 1/2 cup

Drumsticks/Shevgyache Shenga - 1

Potato - 1 medium

Onion - 1 medium

Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Oil

Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi variety) - 6 or 8

Split Black Gram/Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Split Bengal Gram/Split Chick Peas/Chana Dal - 2 tsp

Coriander Seeds/Dhania/Dhane - 4 tsp

Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cloves/Long/Lavang - 4

Cinnamon/Dalchini - an inch piece

Cardamom/Elaichi - seeds of 1 pod

Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1/4 cup

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves/Kadipata - few sprigs

Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp

How to cook Karnataka Bisibele Bhaath:

• Heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan and roast the red chilies until crisp. Keep them aside. Now roast chana dal, urad dal. When dals change slightly in color, add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Sauté for a minute and add desiccated coconut. Sauté for another minute or until coconut turns slight brown. After cooling, grind all these roasted ingredients with little water to a fine paste.

• Heat 5 - 6 cups water in a big pot and add washed toor dal, 1 tsp oil and turmeric. Cook until dal turns soft. Add washed rice and medium chopped onions, potatoes, drumsticks, carrots, green beans, green peas. 
• Use any vegetables of your choice, about 3 cups -  bottle gourd (lauki), ridge gourd, snake gourd and so on. Add water just enough to immerse the vegetables.
• Traditionally, any medium grain rice like Sona Masoori is used for this recipe. I have used Basmati rice. 
• When rice is half cooked, add salt, jaggery and tamarind. After about 5 minutes, check if the vegetables are cooked and add the ground paste. Mix and cook it covered for 5 - 7 minutes. Add more water if required. This rice is served a little watery and not dry. 
• Heat a pan and add 1 - 2 tsp oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida.  When mustard seeds pop, turn off the heat. Pour this tempering/tadka over the cooked Bisibele Bhaat. Garnish with cilantro and serve with papad, yogurt or raita.