Bisi Bele Baath is a signature dish of the Kannadigas, BBB is undoubtedly my favorite amongst all karnataka dishes. For, its quite simple to make, it has a rich flavour to tickle your taste buds & is very very healthy.

The recipe out here is more common in the Bangalore-Mysore regions of Karnataka. You will probably find most households around this region, preparing BBB in this way more or less.

I learnt this from my Grand Mom who in turn learnt it from her Grand Mom, so this one is a family recipe & a very authentic one at that.

Here it is,

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup Toor Dal
• 1/2 cup Rice ( I used Sona Masuri )
• 2 tomatoes - chopped
• 1 cup french beans - chopped
• 1 potato - cubed
• 1 carrot - cubed
• 1 green bell pepper - cubed
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• A handful of double beans ( optional)
• A handful of green peas - fresh/frozen
• A few curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida/Hing
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oil
• 3 tsp desi ghee
• Salt as per taste
• 5-6 cashewnuts

To grind:

• 2 tbsp grated coconut - fresh/frozen
• 10 - 12 dry red chillies ( I used Byadagi )
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 inch stick of cinnamon
• 6 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp dagad phool/rock flower/Kallu Hoovu
• A small lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in water

Method:

• Pressure cook toor dal until completely cooked & set aside
• Meanwhile, roast all the ingredients mentioned in the 'to-grind' list except coconut & tamarind, with a tsp of oil until fragrant. Grind along with grated coconut & tamarind into a smooth paste.
• Take a pressure cooker, Add cooked toor dal. Along with it, add carrots, beans & potatoes & double beans. bring it to a boil.
• To this mixture, add the ground paste & bring it to a boil again. Add a tsp of ghee at this point to avoid the bottom of the cooker from getting burnt. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Boil this mixture on low flame for about 5 minutes.
• Wash rice in several changes of water & add it to the boiling mixture, give it a gentle stir.
• Add the remaining vegetables & add about 3 cups of water. Adjust salt as per taste. Add 2 tsp of ghee/oil & close the lid & let it cook completely.
• Once the cooker releases pressure, open the lid. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, cashewnuts, turmeric & asafoetida.

Mix well & serve HOT with a dollop of ghee on top & Raita . . . Enjoi !!!

NOTE:

• The consistency of BBB should be rather watery. Once complelely cooked, if you find the dish slightly thick, add some water & boil the mixture. This dish is very forgiving that way.
• The whole idea of cooking toor dal twice is to prevent the dish from getting hard once it cools down. But if you ensure that the dal is twice cooked, the baath will retain its watery consistency
• DO NOT add onions while making BBB. I often find a lot of people adding onions to this dish. Addition of onions gives this dish 'a sambar' like taste, since the ingredients used in sambar are more or less same. So remember, NO onions.
• Replace Tamarind with 3 tsp of lime juice for a slightly different taste.

I was never such a big fan of Chana Dal. I barely experiment with it. I had Chana Dal Tadka for the first time at an Indian restaurant in Paris.

While we were holidaying in Paris, we were starved beyond words, & were craving for some authentic Indian stuff. For how long can you eat Croissants & Baguettes afterall? When, we found a nice little Indian restaurant & I just couldn't wait to lay my hands on some lovely Rice & Dal Tadka. The restaurant had limited options for the vegetarians & they only served only chana dal. I had no choice but to opt for it & thought I wasn't going to like it one bit.

When the waiter served, Dal Tadka, It looked really bland & had no traces of either onions or tomatoes or any other seasoning.
(I gave him a stare as though I am the Czarina of Indian Cuisine, implying that one can't just whip up something in an alien country & serve it as authentic Indian Stuff. )

But I was sooo terribly wrong. The dal tasted great & had an amazing texture. It was actually more than perfect. Yes, I ate one of the best Dal Tadkas in Paris. And, I knew that I was going to recreate this at home some day.

We got together to guessing what all might have gone into the Dal & I think we got most of it.

Here's how it was made,

You Will Need:

• 1 1/2 cups Chana Dal
• 1 red onion - chopped
• 2 tomatoes - chopped
• 2 green chillies
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• A small stick of cinnamon
• A handful of cashewnuts
• A small piece of ginger
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chilli - broken
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• cilantro for garnish
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp desi ghee

Method:

• Soak chana dal in water for about 15 minutes & pressure cook the dal until completely cooked. See to it that the dal does not get mushy & retains its shape
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan & add slit green chillies, cardamoms, cloves & cinnamon. Saute for about 20 seconds.
• Add chopped onions & saute till they turn transpatent. Add turmeric, red chilli powder & tomatoes & cook until oil separates & tomatoes turn pulpy
• Switch off the stove & allow it to cool. Once cool, grind this along with ginger & cashewnuts.
• Heat oil in a pan & add cooked chana dal & the ground paste & bring it to a boil. Add water to get the desired consistency. Add salt as per taste.
• Temper with cumin seeds & broken red chilli. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Serve Hot with Rotis/Rice. Enjoy !!!

This one was really close to the one we had in Paris & enjoyed it quite a bit. The spices were mild & cashews added their bit of sweetness & gave a nice creamy consistency to the dal. I loved the texture & taste of chana dal too.

All the credit goes to Shankar for patiently listening to me on how to got about the whole thing & creating some lovely comfort food.

Hope you guys are going to try this too.

NOTE: While grinding the ingredients, we let a few rustic pieces of onions & tomatoes remain, since we like biting into tiny bits of veggies. But you could grind it into a smooth paste as well.

Summer has begun in our part of the world. I detest summer as much as I detest cockroaches, ( such a silly comparison :P ) . . I know a lot of people who love this season for the sunshine it brings on, But I have been the types who has always enjoyed winters, rainy days & pleseant weathers . .

While I already see the tempratures soaring, I look forward to eating something light & comforting for lunch. This raita is something that we make frequently during summers & it does have a cooling effect on your body. And, this is sure to surprise all 'Radish-Haters' & a few like me who love this yucky-smelling vegetable, this recipe is for keeps ..

• 1 colored radish - grated
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp grated coconut - fresh/frozen
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 -3 green chillies
• 1 broken red chilli
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 4 - 5 curry leaves
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp desi ghee

How To:

• Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small wok & saute grated radish till the raw smell disappears. This takes about 2-3 minutes. DO NOT cook completely. See to it that radish retains its crunch
• Grind together green chillies, cumin seeds & grated coconut with very little water into a smooth paste.
• Beat yogurt with salt, mix in sauteed radish, ground paste. adjust salt as per taste
• Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves & broken red chilli

Serve with HOT steamed rice .. Enjoi !!!

We had ours with some Tomato Saaru, Rice & spiced buttermilk for a complete meal.

NOTE:

• You could even use raw grated radish in this. But those of you who dislike the taste of raw raidsh, make sure you saute it before you proceed with the recipe.
• You could use daikon radish too. But, red radish is much milder in taste
• Enjoy as a Cold Soup too

• 1 cup chickpeas - soaked overnight or for 5-6 hours ( you could use canned as well )
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes - chopped
• 1 green bell pepper - finely diced
• 1 zucchini - finely diced
• 1 carrot - finrly diced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp Harissa Paste
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Pressure cook chickpeas until cooked
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add ginger, turmeric, & saute for 20 secs
• Add onions & saute till they turn transparent. Add chopped tomatoes & saute for another couple of minutes
• Add diced carrots & cook for a couple of minutes adding 1/2 cup water
• Add bell pepper & zucchini & add another cup of water, cover with a lid & cook on medium flame until the vegetables are cooked but are crunchy as well
• Add cooked chickpeas & stir in 2 tbsp Harissa paste & cook on low flame for 5 minutes. Add salt as per taste.
• Sprinkle dried thyme & serve HOT with any bread of your choice

Can be enjoyed as a soup or can be served with steamed HOT rice.

Enjoi !!!

For Harissa Paste:

You Will Need:

• 3 red chillies
• 2 cloved of garlic - minced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt

How To:

• Soak 3 red chillies for about 2 hours in water
• Blend together, soaked red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 2 cloves of garlic & salt with 1 tbsp oilve oil in a food processor into a smooth paste.

NOTE: You can make large quantities of this paste & freeze it in an air-tight container.

We had ours with some garlic bread & immensly enjoyed it. I was taken by surprise, watching my 'picky-eater' husband relish this. And, he didn't seem to mind taking more than 2 helpings :) So, this has got to be really really tasty. So, I am gonna make this again.

What I really liked about this stew is that these spices so common in our Indian kitchen are put together so beautifully that it perfectly fits into the comfort food category. This one is sure to lift your spirits on a dull day.

Enjoy your bowl today !!!

• 3 Bananas ( any variety ) - cut into round chunks
• 2 tbsp grated jaggery
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 tbsp almonds - chopped

Method:

• Mix in banana chunks, grated jaggery, grated coconut in a large bowl
• Garnish with chopped almonds
• Chill for 30 minutes before serving

Enjoi !!!

If you want to cut down on custard & sugar in fruit salads, then this is for you ..

This one does taste different from the regular fruit salads. The slight sweetness from jaggery & creamy coconut coats well with banana & chopped almonds add a nice cruch. I sometimes have this as an evening snack too ..

NOTE:

• Serve as a dessert topped with vanilla ice cream.
• Though, traditional Rasayana calls for bananas, you could add other fruits like apple, pineapple, orange, grapes etc. to this
  

• 1 cup long grained Basmati Rice
• 1 onion - cut into thin strips
• 1 tomato - chopped
• 1 green bell pepper - cubed
• 1 potato - cut into thin stris
• 1 carrot - cut into round discs/long strips
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• A handful of green peas - fresh/frozen
• 1 tsp whole Garam Masala
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala - Any Brand
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Kitchen King Masala - (Optional)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• A handful of finely chopped cilantro - For garnish
• 2 tbsp Desi ghee
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Clean rice in several changes of water & drain & keep aside for 15 minutes
• Heat a tsp of desi ghee in a heavy bottom vessel & fry rice until fragrant & keep aside
• Cook rice in a pot or pressure cooker such that each grain is separate. Keep aside to cool
• Heat ghee in a griddle or a heavy bottomed pan, add cumin seeds & bay leaves
• Once they pop & splutter, add whole garam masala & ginger garlic paste & saute for a minute
• Add chopped onions, & saute till they turn pink.
• Add chopped tomatoes & Pav Bhaji Masala, cook till oil separates
• Add chopped carrots, potatoes & cauliflower & cook with very little water until half done.
• Add chopped bell peppers & green peas & cook on medium heat till done.
• Add cooked rice,lemon juice, salt, garam masala & kitchen king masala & fluff with fork, on low heat.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro & serve with raita

Enjoi !!!

Last week was one such day when I was at my laziest best. Having skipped breakfast, I was too hungry to have eaten those bits n bobs. I had some leftover broccoli florets lying in the refrigirator for nearly a week. With some sundried tomatoes & fettuccine pasta, I whipped up this quick meal.

Here's how I made it,

You Will Need:

• Fettuccine Pasta - 300 gms
• 1 cup Broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp - black pepper powder - coarsely ground
• A pinch of turmeric
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Method:

• Cook Pasta in a huge pot of heavily salted water as per package instructions for about 8 minutes or until cooked. Do Not overcook the pasta. Drain & keep aside
• I added a pinch of turmeric to the boiling water for that bright yellow color. I know it sounds crazy to add turmeric in an Italian dish, but well, it did look bright
• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan & saute broccoli until tender. The florets must retain their cruch.
• Add sundried tomatoes & pasta. Add in lemon juice & black pepper powder & toss well to combine. Adjust salt as per taste
• Garnish with lemon zest & Serve HOT.

Can be served as Pasta Salad too at room temprature.

Enjoi !!

I made these on a whim & it turned out to be great. This time around, I experimented with lemons & I wasn't disappointed. The lemon juice & zest are the highlights add a nice flavor to the dish. The lemony flavor blends well with black pepper & give broccoli a nice spicy & lemony crunch. Sun dried tomatoes add a bit of flavor from their side & binds well with fettucine. Together, it made a great dish.

This did put a satisfying end to my hunger, without much effort. I will be making this again, probably on another lazy day.

NOTE: Since Iam not a big fan of cheese, I didn't add them. You could top it with grated cheese for that creamy texture. But, It tastes great without cheese

This goes to Vaishali's , Its a Vegan World: Italian !!

Once such chutney, we make at home is the Horse Gram chutney. This is made particularly when the temprature dips, as Horse Gram is known to increase body temprature & keep one warm.

• 1 cup Horse Gram/Hurali Kaalu
• 1/2 cup grated coconut - fresh/frozen
• 1 tbsp grated jaggery
• 8 - 10 red dry red chillies ( I used Byadagi )
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp tamarind extract
  
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• salt as per taste

Method:

• Dry roast Horse Gram until fragrant & keep aside to cool
• Grind the roasted gram to a coarse powder & set aside
• Heat a tsp of oil & roast the red chillies, coriander seeds & curry leaves
• In a Mixer, blend together grated coconut, jaggery, tamartnd extract, curry leaves, red chillies, & coriander seeds by adding little water
• Add salt, ground horse gram & blend again to combine. Add water if necessary
• Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves & 2 broken red chillies.

Serve with HOT steamed rice & Enjoi !!!

This is a little different from the usual chutneys as the Horse Gram is dry roasted & ground. Spiked with red chillies & coriander seeds & with just a little hint of jaggery adding that much needed flavour, this one is a must try.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did . .

This goes to Mane Adige's Chutney/Dip Mania !!

Anyways, in India, Chaat is easily available in every nook & corner than you can ever imagine & I bet that you somehow will never be able to replicate the taste of your favourite Chaat waala. Don't you guys agree with this?

• 2 handfuls of channa/chickpeas - soaked overnight or for 5-6 hours & boiled. ( Canned chickpeas will do)
• 1/2 red onion - finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of Mamra/Puffed Rice/Kadale Puri
• 1 small tomato - finely chopped
• 2 tbsp - grated carrot
• 2 green chillies - finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt (Remember Puffed Rice is alredy salty)
• 1/2 tsp Chaat Masala
• A few sprigs of cilantro - for garnish
• 2 tsp Sev (optional )

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine together chickpeas, puffed rice, onions, tomato, carrots & chillies
• Add in lemon juice, Salt & chaat masala.
• Mix well & garnish with finely chopped cilantro & Sev ( I didn't add Sev )

Enjoy with your evening cuppa !!!

• You can add sprouted chickpeas as well, It will make it even more healthy.
• Try adding a few finely chopped raw mango for that extra tangy taste.

This goes to JFI-Chickpeas & to My Legume Love Affair, Seventh Helping, Hosted by Srivalli which is a brainchild of Susan

• 1/2 cup short grained rice (I Used Sona Masoori)
• 1/2 cup Moong Dal
  1/2 cup Milk
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
  1/4 cup grated coconut 
• 3 green chillies - finely chopped
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp freshly cracked Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tbsp Desi Ghee/Clarified Butter 
• 10 cashew nuts