BISIBELABATH | SAMBAR SADHAM | BISIBELEBHAT

        Bisi bele bhat ( or actually bisi bele huli anna in kannada literally means hot lentil tamarind rice ) is a very popular delicacy among South Indian cuisine, it involves vegetables, rice, dal and spices. Enjoy this yummy, healthy, one pot meal either for lunch or dinner.

    Ingredients

           1/2 Cup of Toor Dal
           1/2 Cup of Rice
           2 Medium Size Carrots
           1 Red Potato
           1/4 Cup of Peas
           2 Medium Size Brinjal
           3 Drumsticks
           2 Mango Pieces
   Lemon Size Tamarind (adjust as per taste)
   2 Tbsp of Grated Coconut
   1/4 Tsp of Jaggery
   Few cilantro leaves to garnish
   Salt to taste


   To Grind

           2 Parts of Red Chillies
           1 Part of Dhania/ Whole Coriander Seeds
           1/2 Part of Channa Dal
           1/4 Part of Urad dal and Moong Dal
           1 Stick Cinnamon
           Pinch of Asafoetida
   1 Tsp of Oil

To Temper

          2 Tsp of Ghee
          1 Tsp of Oil
          1 Tsp of Mustard
          2 Tsp of Channa Dal
1 – 2 Red Chillies
          1 Tbsp of Peanuts
          Few Curry Leaves

Method

OIL ROAST THE SPICES

In a pan, add oil and dry roast the ” To Grind” ingredients until it turns aromatic and golden brown color.
Grind these into a powder and store it in a bottle.
Wash and soak the dal and rice together for 1/2 hr.
Wash and soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 mins.

TAMARIND JUICE AND SPICE POWDER

In a bowl, take extracted tamarind juice and 3 tsp of Ground spice powder. Mix well. Keep it aside. Store the remaining spice powder in a airtight container.
Meanwhile cut all the vegetables and keep it aside.

Cook the dal, rice, vegetables, 1 tsp of oil, asafoetida, salt, turmeric with 2 Cups of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Turn off the stove.

In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and oil, red chillies and channa dal and fry till dark brown color.
Add mustard, let it crackle. Then add peanuts and curry leaves.Fry for a min.
Add tamarind juice – spice powder mix, bring it to boil. When raw smell of tamarind vanishes, add cooker items (vegetables-lentils-rice) Mix thoroughly. Add 2 tbsp of grated coconut and jaggery. Check the salt. Mix well again. Turn off the stove.
Garnish it with cilantro or coriander leaves.
Hot Bisibelabath is ready to serve.

Tips

Serve BBB with ghee and vathal( rice crackers) or buttermilk chilly and onion raita on side.
You can use remaining spice powder for vangibhath recipe.
Bisibelabath should be in semi-solid in consistency.
If you want, you can also add onion and tomato to this recipe.

Health Benefits of Bisibelabath

Toor Dal also called as lentils or split pigeon peas.
Toor dal also rich in folic acid, carbohydrates and dietary fiber.
The nutrients in vegetables are vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Seppankilangu Varuval / Arbi/ Taro / Colocasia Roast

            Colocasia/ Taro/seppankilangu/Arbi is a starchy root vegetable which is widely consumed in Asia, India and south America. This vegetable can be used for roasting, baking or deep-frying. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, who is a great cook. This dish is very simple to make with oil and spices. Its great to eat with sambhar rice or rasam rice or curd rice. But I love to eat with beetroot sambhar. You can find two colocasia recipes here. One is roasted and other one is deep-fried.

Ingredients

        3 Big Colocasia
    2-3 Tbsp of Oil
          1/2 Tsp of Fennel Seeds/Sombhu
          1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
1/4 Tsp of Garam Masala
          1 and 1/2 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder or Sambhar Powder
          Salt as needed

   Method

COLOCASIA

Wash and pressure cook colocasia with 1 cup of water and wait for 2 whistles. Switch off the stove.
Wash in cold water and peel the skin and cut into small cubes. Keep it aside.

COLOCASIA – CUT INTO CUBES

In a bowl, marinate the colocasia pieces, turmeric powder, sambhar powder and salt. Wait for 5 mins so that colocasia absorbs the masala.

Take a non-stick pan with oil, add the marinated colocasia and fry for 5 mins. Add fennel and garam masala. Mix well. Cook for 7-10 mins in medium- low flame until it is dark-golden brown and crispy. once it done, switch off the flame.

Seppankilanghu or Colocasia Roast is ready to serve.

DEEP FRIED TARO/ COLOCASIA

   Ingredients

        3 Big Colocasia
        1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
        1 and 1/2 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
        Salt to taste
        Oil for deep frying

   Method

COLOCASIA

Wash and pressure cook colocasia with 1 cup of water and wait for 2 whistles. Switch off the stove.

COLOCASIA – CUT INTO CUBES

Peel the skin and cut into small cubes.Keep the bowl in fridge for 30 mins.
Take a shallow pan with oil , deep fry the colocasia pieces until it turns light brown colour on both sides.

Put all the colocasia pieces in a bowl contains turmeric, chilly powder and salt. Mix well while it is hot so that colocasia absorbs all masala
Take a tawa, place all the pieces and cook on both sides until you find black spots.

Deep fried colocasia is ready to serve.

Tips

Good accompaniment for sambhar or rasam or curd rice.
You can add more chilly powder for extra spiciness.
You can add rice flour while marinating the colocasia for extra crispness.
Make sure that colocasia are not in pressure cooker for not more than 2 whistles otherwise it turns mushy.

Health Benefits of Colocasia

Colocasia are high in calories than potatoes.
Free from gluten.
Finest source of dietary fibers.
Rich in Vitamin A, C, B, E, K and minerals and anti-oxidants.
sending recipe to

Kerala Avial / Aviyal Recipe

It is a traditional delicacy from kerala, southern province of India. Avial which is a medley of local indigenous vegetables cooked in a coconut – yogurt sauce, simmered until it absorbs the aroma of spices and then combined with the seasoning of mustard and curry leaves to result in a delicious, vegetarian entrée. Serve with rice or adai (savory pancake) for an authentic kerala meal.

Ingredients

         2 Medium SizeCarrots
         7 Beans
         1 Brinjal or Eggplant
         1 Medium Size Raw Plantain
   1 Large Potato
   4 Drum Sticks
         2 Tbsp of Yogurt/Curd
   1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
         1/2 Cup of Water
   Salt as needed

To Grind

         1/4 Cup of Grated Coconut
         1 Tsp of Whole Cumin
         2 or 3 Green Chillies

To Temper

1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
1 Tsp of Mustard (optional)
Few Curry Leaves

Method

Peel the skin and cut all the vegetables into 2 inch long pieces.

In a blender, grind cumin, coconut and green chillies to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

In a pan add all chopped vegetables to the boiling water, add turmeric powder, salt and cook until all vegetables turn soft.

Now add the ground paste and little water, bring it a boil. Add yogurt or curd and mix well, cook for 1 min. Switch off the stove.

In a seperate Pan, heat coconut oil , add mustard(optional) and curry leaves, let it crackles. now add the vegetable- coconut gravy and mix well. Check the salt and switch off the stove.

yummy Aviyal is ready!!!!

Tips

In kerala, they don’t temper with mustard seeds, if you wish you can temper it.
For extra spiciness, add more green chillies to it.

You can also add yam, ash gourd, raw mango to this recipe. I didn’t add those vegetables as I was out of stock.

If you use raw mango pieces, try to reduce the curd accordingly.

Health Benefits of Aviyal

Vegetables are low in fat, but are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Vegetables are home for anti-oxidants.

Vegetables are packed with soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.