Bisi Bele Bath In Electric Rice Cooker | Sambar Sadam

Bisi Bele Bath, also known as Sambar Sadam or Bisi Bele Huliyanna, is a quintessential South Indian comfort food, adored for its rich, hearty, and flavourful profile. This dish, a delightful combination of rice, lentils, vegetables, and a medley of aromatic spices, hails from Karnataka and has become a favourite across South India.

While Bisi Bele Bath is often reserved for special occasions due to its elaborate preparation, using an electric rice cooker can simplify the process significantly. This method allows you to prepare the dish with minimal effort, making it perfect even for busy weekdays. The cooker ensures consistent cooking while you can multitask, stirring occasionally to ensure everything blends seamlessly.

Tips for Making the Perfect Bisi Bele Bath

1. Rice and Dal Proportion: Maintain a 2:1 ratio of rice to toor dal for the right consistency and flavor balance.

2. Vegetable Choice: Use a mix of vegetables like carrots, beans, peas, and drumsticks to enhance the flavor and nutrition.

3. Homemade Spice Blend: A fresh Bisi Bele Bath masala powder elevates the dish’s flavor, but you can use store-bought masala for convenience.

4. Consistency: The dish should be slightly mushy and creamy. Add hot water to adjust the consistency as needed.

5. Tamarind Extract: Soak tamarind in warm water and extract the juice. Avoid adding too much, as it can overpower the dish.

6. Tempering: A generous tempering with ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies enhances the flavor and aroma.

7. Serve Fresh: Bisi Bele Bath tastes best when served hot, topped with a dollop of ghee for added richness. Pair it with papad, boondi, or a simple raita.

Benefits of Cooking Bisi Bele Bath in an Electric Rice Cooker

1. Convenience: The rice cooker simplifies the process by cooking the rice, lentils, and vegetables together without constant monitoring.

2. Time-Saving: You can focus on preparing the spice blend or tempering while the cooker does its job.

3. Consistency: The even heat distribution ensures perfectly cooked rice and dal every time.

4. Minimal Cleanup: Cooking in one pot reduces the hassle of cleaning multiple utensils.

Bisi Bele Bath is a wholesome and satisfying dish that captures the essence of South Indian cuisine. While the traditional recipe might feel daunting, using an electric rice cooker makes the process effortless without compromising on flavor or texture.

This version of Bisi Bele Bath, with its creamy consistency, tangy tamarind, and the aromatic kick of freshly ground spices, is perfect for any meal. Whether you’re making it for a special occasion or a simple weekday lunch, this recipe is sure to delight your taste buds. Serve it with crunchy papad, a side of boondi, or just a drizzle of ghee, and enjoy a comforting bowl of this classic dish.

Ingredients 

Raw rice-1 cup or 250gms
Toor dhal-1/2 cup
Small onions-20 nos
Mixed vegetables (carrot,peas,beans, potato)-1 1/2 cups chopped
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind extract-from lemon sized tamarind
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Asafetida a pinch
Salt to taste
Ghee-2-3 tbsps
Curry leaves and coriander leaves few

Grind Together 

Bengal gram dhal-3 tbsps
Urad dhal-2 tbsps
Dhaniya seeds-2 tbsps
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Red chillies-10 -15 nos
Cinnamon-1 stick
Cloves-4 nos
Kopparai/khopara(dry Coconut)-2 tbsps
(Roast the ingredients in 1/2 tsp oil and powder it)

Method 

👉Wash and soak the rice and dal together for 15 mins.
👉Roast the ingredients given for grinding in 1/2 tsp oil and powder it and set aside.

👉Now in the electric rice cooker container add the rice and dal after draining the water.
  👉Add the chopped vegetables, turmeric powder, asafetida.
👉Add 8 cups of water, close the cooker and switch it onto RICE COOK mode and allow it to cook.

👉Now simultaneously in pan heat ghee, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and the small onions and saute until the onions are cooked, add this to rice while it is cooking.

👉After 1/2 hour check whether the vegetables and rice dhal mixture are cooked.
  👉Then heat a pan pour the tamarind extract in it and bring it to boil, add this to the cooked rice. (This is done to remove the raw smell of the tamarind.)

👉Add the powder at this stage mix everything well without lumps (you can dissolve the powder in water and then add it will mix easily).
👉Add salt at last when the rice, dal and veggies are cooked.
👉Stir everything well slightly mashing the rice. Check for seasoning.
  👉Once the rice is done the cooker will come to KEEP WARM mode.

👉Garnish and serve hot with potato chips and onion raita.


Preparation Time-45 mins
Serves-6

Note

✍️If the rice cooker changes to keep warm mode and if you find the rice and veggies need to cook for some more time you can add required water and again switch it back to rice cook mode and continue cooking.
✍️Keep stirring at regular intervals and check the requirement of water.
✍️Add extra ghee if you find the rice little dry.