MASALA BHAT

Masala bhat is a  variety of rice prepared by North Indians especially Maharashtrians.  It is a mixture of rice, vegetables and masalas.  Serve it hot with chaas/butter milk.   Yummy it is.  You can mix any kind of vegetables in it and a best way to feed the children who do not eat the vegetables.  Also a very easy preparation for the bachelors, no hassles of making dal, subji etc.  So why are you waiting.  Grab the ingredients and go to the kitchen to relish the my way of masale bhat.

watch on Youtube; Masala bhat 1   Masala bhat 2         Masala bhat 3

Let us look at the recipe now:

Preparation time : 30 minutes including soaking of rice
Cooking time 40-45 minutes
serves : 3-4


Ingredients:

1 cup rice ( I used basmati rice)
5 french beans cut into 1/4 " pcs
6-8 cauliflower florets
1 big carrot cubed
1 small piece of cabbage
1 small piece of lauki
2 tomatoes cut into big pieces
1/2 cucumber cut into cubes
1 capsicum cut into cubes
1 onion sliced
1 tej patha
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp sambar powder or  1 tsp ghoda masala or 1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 pinch of amchur powder
a generous pinch of  hing powder
1 tsp heaped salt
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp ghee

ganishing;

3-4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp grated coconut

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour.
wash and cut the vegetables as mentioned above
Heat ghee and oil in a kadai.
add the tej patta, add onion and fry for sometime.
add the dudhi, capsicum, carrots saute for sometime.
add carrots and cauliflower, saute this again
drain the rice and saute the same till the rice looks glaze
mix the sambar powder and amchur powder and keep aside
put the cucumber and tomato in the rice and saute for few minutes.
now add the sambar powder mix, 21/2 cup of water, salt, haldi powder, asafoetida and bring to boil
when it starts boiling, reduce the flame, cover and allow to cook.
In between you can stir and check that it does not stick to the bottom of the vessel.
when the water is completely dried, switch off gas.  add the garam masala powder, mix well.
serve garnished with grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves.
serve with chaas, tomato raita, papad,pickle etc.

While serving, you can add a blob of white butter, nutralite butter or 1 tsp of pure ghee.

NOTE:  1)  In case you want to use the cooker, cook for one whistle and switch off gas. when the pressure comes down, it will be cooked  properly.

2)  Advantage of cooking in kadai is that you can check in between.
3)  You can use the normal rice too instead of basmati rice.  But water should be added according to the requirement as I cannot say the correct measurement because I donot know which kind of rice you are using.
3)  even if the water is little more, it will be slightly sticky or semi solid consistency, donot worry.

4)  If you do not want to use sambar powder, use ghoda masala which is a store bought item. OR chilli powder and garam masala.

5)  you can make tomato/onion raita with some coriander leaves in it.

6)  An easy recipe for the bachelors.

7)  You can use any kind of vegetables.