Bise Bele Bath (Lentils & Rice)

A quick pressure cook version of sambhar and rice infused with vegetables, red lentils and lots of Indian spices for a comforting meal.

My parents grew up in Karnataka, India and that meant by biannual trips to Bangalore would include auto rides to my grandfather’s restaurants. We mostly had south indian food but the flavours are different, sometimes the savoury dishes being on the sweeter side. One dish that was particularly popular and made often in my household was Bise Bele Bath (it’s a mouthful to say but it basically means lentils and rice).

If you’ve tried South Indian food, you might have try sambhar which is a gravy made with lentils and simple spices, paired with white rice. To avoid mixing sambhar and rice, royal cook of Mysore Maharaja devised a plan to cook rice and sambhar together on one stove so it can be easily served on a plate. In this day and age, it would probably make sense to name this dish a ‘one-pot lentils and rice stew’.

While Khichdi was a whole meal in other states like Gujarat and Rajastan, Bise Bele Bath became that dish in Karnataka. Spicy bisebelebath powder is quintessential for making this dish but you can easily substitute it for garam masala and other spices that are more readily available. The traditional version includes ghee, but we can easily substitute it for oil or vegan butter.

Ingredients You Need

• long grain basmati rice or ponni rice – I used millet in place of rice as a healthier alternative! The texture of millet is similar to that of cous cous.
• whole spices – cumin seeds
• ground spices – garam masala, kashmiri chili powder, turmeric (or bise bele bath powder)
• aromatics – green chilli, tamarind, grated coconut
• lentils – red lentils
• vegetables – french beans, carrot, peas
• tempering – vegan butter, mustard seeds, curry leaves, cashews, hing (asafoetida), red chillies