Bisi Bele Bhaat

No. of servings:  8-10
Preparation Time:  25 mins	Cook Time:  35 mins

No picture can do justice to this Karnataka speciality,  bursting with flavors!   This one-pot recipe does NOT use any ready-made powder.  It is very easy to grind as needed and the taste of fresh spices is no match to store-bought powder.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1.5 cups (white or brown)
• Tur daal (and/or) Moong daal - 0.75 cup 
• Peanuts - 1.5 tbsp
• Potatoes - 2 
• Mixed veggies - 3-4 cups (carrots, green beans, peas, corn, squash, bell peppers, pigeon peas, papdi lilva as per choice)
• Channa daal - 2 tsp
• Urad daal - 1.5 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 
• Black pepper - 1 tsp 
• Green Cardamom - 5-6 pods
• Badi elaichi (Black cardamom) - 1 
• Cloves - 6-8
• Cinnamon - 1.5 inch
• Kapok bud (maratha moggu) - 2
• Mace (javitri) - 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds - 1.5 tsp
• Red chillies - 10
• Salt
• Dry coconut - 0.25
• Tomato - 1
• Tamarind - 1 lemon sized
• Jaggery (or) brown sugar - 1 lemon sized
• Turmeric - 1 tsp 
• 1 dried turmeric plant leaf (optional)
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asefoetida - 1 pinch
• Onions - 2 medium
• Cashews - 15

Method:

• Dry roast the spices - Channa daal, Urad daal, Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, Black pepper, Green Cardamom, Badi elaichi (Black cardamom), Cloves, Cinnamon, Kapok bud (maratha moggu), Mace (javitri), Poppy seeds, Red chillies ('Saute' mode in IP)
• Grind all these along with Salt, Dry coconut, Tomato, Tamarind, Jaggery, Turmeric leaf (if using) and set aside
• In the cooker vessel, season mustard seeds, asafoetida and cashews 
• Scoop it and set aside
• In the same oil, saute the onions till translucent
• Scoop this keep aside as well
• Wash rice and tur daal (or moong daal, if using) together and put it into the cooker
• Add peanuts, potatoes and all other veggies to it
• Add about 8 cups of water, salt, turmeric and a tsp of oil
• Pressure cook this well ('Pressure Cook' mode for 8 mins in IP)
• Add the ground paste to the cooked rice and veggies
• Add extra water if needed, to adjust consistency
• Mix well and cook well ('Soup' mode in IP)
• When the raw smell is gone and it starts bubbling, add the seasoning of onions and cashews
• Mix and serve hot with a dollop of ghee and chips or papad!  

Tips and Tricks:

• This may look like a lot of ingredients but most of them are available in the kitchen regularly.  Hence no need to buy ready powder
• Moong daal makes the dish tastier, lighter, and doesn't a thick lump after cooling down!  Less gassy than tur daal too!!
• Could use half tur and half moong daal too, if preferred 
• If one or two of the spices are not available, it's okay to skip them
• Veggies added can change as per preference
• Do not add water after cooking, the flavors will feel washed out.  If extra water is needed, be sure to heat the whole thing thoroughly

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: