Bisi bela Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

This is the flagship rice dish from the Indian state of Karnataka. A piquant spicy blend of rice, legumes & an array of fresh vegetables, the Ultimate one pot dish ( well, almost!), I never use the same set of vegetables twice ( only because,i cant remember what I used the previous time!).
Given that rice & dal are the main ingredients in the dish, and the vegetables, being numerous, do not call for more than one of each type, A rough appraisal puts the cost around a dollar per serving. That combined with the inherent healthy tag, puts this dish in the category of absolute value for money. All you need is a side of crunchy greens for a satisfying dinner!
I adapted my variation from a recipe from a little known Indian book called Vegetarian delicacies by Padma Santhanaraman - Panfusine —Panfusine

Test Kitchen Notes

Panfusine’s Bisi Bela recipe yields a enticingly fragrant and comforting one-dish meal. Coconut adds a nice subtle sweetness to the roasted spices, and the sprouted mung beans add a really lovely, verdant taste and crunch. The pressure cooked rice and lentils (4 minutes on my watch) couldn’t be simpler, and the rest of the recipe comes together quickly and easily if you have your mise en place ready before you start. Consider dollops of this bisi bela, wrapped in crispy lettuce leaves, as a wonderful hand-held hors d’oeuvre at your next dinner party or gathering. - Jennifer Ann —Jennifer Ann

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Masala paste
• 1 tablespoonCoriander seeds
  
• 2 inch cinnamon stick, broken up
  
• 1 tablespoonsplit dried garbanzo beans (chana dal)
  
• 1 tablespoonsplit dehusked urad dal
  
• 4-5 black peppercorns
  
• 3-4 cloves
  
• ¹/₃ cupfrozen Fresh shredded coconut
  
• Water as needed
  

• The rice dish
• 1 cupjasmine tai rice
  
• ¹/₂ cupdried pigeon peas (tuvar or arhar dal)
  
• 2-3 teaspoonstamarind extract (the lighter colored ones from the glass bottles, not the blackish plastic bottles (tamcon) labelled in yellow)
  
• 1 cupsprouted mung bean
  
• ¹/₂ cupsplit green pea (rehydrated) or frozen peas
  
• ¹/₂ cupdiced carrots
  
• ¹/₂ cuppeeled diced potatoes
  
• 5-6 scallions chopped green & white
  
• Any other vegetables you can think of (except slimy okra!)
  
• ¹/₄ teaspoonturmeric powder
  
• Salt to taste
  
• ¹/₄ cup ghee
  
• 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
  
• 1 teaspoonwhole mustard seeds
  
• 1 sprigcurry leaves
  
• 3 tablespoonschopped cilantro for garnish
  
• Lime wedges