One of my earliest memories of Bisibelebath is from my friend’s mom. They were the only Kannadigas in our area and our good friends. Sometimes when we went over to her place to play, Amma used to come with us too. Auntie then gave us a thick gravy that was sweet, spicy and tangy. Often we heard about bisibelebath which was prepared using the gravy. Amma used to prepare it at home, especially when there is red pumpkin for its mainly used in this recipe. The spices used in this recipe are quite aromatic and this recipe very flavorful. Although Sambar Sadam is prepared in a similar way, this tastes so different from the way Sambar Sadam is made. The fresh ground spices make this dish very tasty. Moreover this is such a healthy dish, for there are number of vegetables and dal too.
In a pressure cooker, cook the rice slightly mushy. Similarly cook the toor dal mushy. Set aside.
In a pan, dry roast urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies, jeera, coriander seeds, cloves and cinnamon until glden brown. Once cooled down, blend these along with dry/fresh coconut into a smooth powder.
In a pot, add all the vegetables and onions, add turmeric powder and enough water. Cook closed for 5-7mins until the vegetables are half done.
In a small bowl, mix the tamarind pulp with some water and add powdered jaggery to it. Add this mixture to the cooking vegetables. Mix well. Cook for 2 mins.
To this, add the prepared bisibelebath powder and mix well. Cook for 3-4 mins. Add the cooked toor dal and salt required. Cook for another 4-5mins. The bisibelebath gravy is prepared.
Mix this gravy to the cooked rice. Mix well. In a small tadka pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter, asafoetida and currry leaves. Add this tempering to the bisibelebath. Mix well.
Serve hot with fryums/appalams/papad.
I cooked the rice with 1:3 ratio of rice to water to make it mushy. Adjust the number of red chillies as per spice preference. The bisibelebath powder can be made in advance (without the coconut) and stored in an airtight container. Add more bisibelebath gravy to the rice if its too thick. Any choice of vegetables can be added - potato, beans, green peas, red pumpkin, raw plantain, carrots, broad beans and brinjals.
