Besibelebath



Roasted

Raw

Besibelebatth                

 Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup thoor dhal
• 3/4 cup plain rice (rinsed )
• 1 cup cut/diced vegetables(fresh beans, squash, eggplant and potatoes, spinach etc)

• 1 tsp of tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tsp of rasam powder(sarina pudi, malagapudi)
• 

  

  Blended

  1/2 tsp of tamarind paste
• 2  tsp of salt
• 1 large tomato (optional)
• 3 or 4 whole green chilies or 1 big diced green pepper (optional)

Masala ingredients:

• 4 tbs coriander seeds(kotambari beeja)
• 2 tbs of urad dhal
• 2 tbs channa dhal
• 1/2 tsp of methi seeds(menthya)
• 1" cinnamon/dalchinni/chekkae (optional)
• 4 cloves/lavanga
• 8 red chilies (split)
• 1/4 cup of grated coconut (6-8 slices of coconut about 1/4"x2" long each)

(Roast chana dhal, methi seeds, urad dhal and chilies with a drop of oil in a small pan over medium heat.  Lower heat and add the coriander seeds and roast further for a few minutes to bring out the fine aroma of coriander. Then add the coconut and turn off the heat. Continue to twirl the contents of the pan for a couple of minutes. When cool, blend everything smooth with 1 cup of water.)





Garnish

 Garnishing ingredients:

• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• 4 tbs of oil or ghee
• 1/2 cup peanuts or cashews or both
• pinch of hingh(optional)
• pinch of hingh (optional)
• few curry leaves(optional)

Method:

Besibelebath

Cook thoor dhal in a thick bottom pot with about  plenty of water on medium heat. To reduce the cooking foam from spilling over, place a spatula in the pot. When the dhal is 1/2 cooked add the rinsed rice, vegetables, tomato and the chilies. Cook till all the vegetables, rice and dhal are cooked well. The dhal, rice  are usually mushed and vegetable should be soft and wilted. Add the blended masala, salt, rasam powder and tamarind to the pot and mix well. Lower the heat and cook further for it all to slowly bubble, all the while stirring the whole thing  to keep it from sticking to the bottom.. Turn off the heat. and garnish:

Garnish: To garnish, heat the oil or ghee in a small spatula pan, splatter mustard seeds, Then add the peanut, and swish it around till they are golden brown Now add curry leaves, hingh, turmeric and pour the contents to the pot.

Cooking Tips:

You can pressure cook the vegetables, rice and the thoor dhal together. Instead of tamarind paste, you can soak natural tamarind( small lemon sized) in 1/2 a cup of water for a few minutes. Squeeze the tamarind juice out and use it in the preparation above. Throw the squeezed rind out. The besibelebath should be pretty thick and not too liquidy.

Serving tips:

Serve as main course with chips, happala etc on the side.