Bise bela bath

On very busy days and on very chilly nights I only want to laze in my couch or crawl into my bed. I dont want to be rolling out sticky chapatti dough or prepare elaborate meals.  

On such days, I rather go for some quick-fix recipes or one-pot dishes. And particularly this dish I do quite often.  Bise bela bath, another way of calling sambar rice? In some places, it is also called as Kadamba Sadam

This dish is said to have it origin in the state of Karnataka. Its hot lentil rice with spicy masala and whole lot vegetables. Very satisfying with just a papad or pickle.

The masala preparation may seem elaborate here but if you really want to be quick you can use the combination of sambar powder, garam masala and dry roasted grated coconut which may always be available handy.

Ingredients

To cook rice and dal
1 cup rice
1/2 cup toor dal
5 cups water

To cook vegetables
1 ts tamarind extract
1-2 cups water
1-2 cups chopped vegetables of your choice (carrot, beans, drumstick, brinjal etc)
1 small sized onion (chopped)
1 medium sized tomato (cubed)
2 tbs bisebela bath powder

For tempering

1 tbs ghee

1 ts mustard seed, 1/2 ts urad dal

2 red chillies

Few curry leaves

For garnishing
Lots of finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbs ghee

To dry roast and grind (Bisebela bath powder)

2 ts coriander seed

1 ts chana dal

¼ ts fenugreek seed

¼ ts turmeric powder

2-3 red chillies

1 ts jeera

¼ ts hing
3-4 ts grated coconut

2 ts poppy seed
2 cloves, 1 cardamon, 1 small piece of cinnamon 

You can also roast them in 1 ts oil which enhances flavor of the spice powder

Preparation

- Prepare the bisebela bath powder as mentioned above and keep it ready. After using, store them in airtight container for later use. When roasted and prepared properly, this powder can last good for 3-4 weeks.
- Pressure cook rice and dal with little extra water than usual and enough salt for 1 whistle in high flame and for 3 whistles in simmer. Let the air subside by itself.
- Meanwhile take the cut vegetables in a big stock pot. Add onion, tomato, bisebela bath powder, tamarind extract, enough salt and 2 cups of water. Give it a rolling boil. Then cook partly covered in simmer until the vegetables are tender. (You can also choose to do this step in a pressure cooker, cooking for just 1 whistle and releasing the air immediately)
- Once the rice is cooked, add the vegetable sambar prepared above to the cooked rice. Give a good mix. The rice should look mushy now.
- Prepare the seasoning of mustard seed, red chillies and curry leaves in ghee.
- Pour the hot seasoning to the rice. Mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves and more ghee (Ghee gives the much needed flavor boost to this rice). Cook covered in simmer for 5-10 minutes for all the flavors to intermingle and set well.