BISI BELE BHATH l BISI BELE HULIANNA l MASALA BHATH

Bisi bele bhath is a spicy, rice-based dish with origins in the state of Karnataka, India. Bisi bele bhath, which translates to 'hot lentil rice dish' in Kannada language, is a wholesome meal. It is said to have originated in the Mysore Palace and from there spread across the entire state.
  
I love this dish  as one of my neighbour used to give me this.  It is a dish which includes the dals and vegetables along with rice.

I have used the masalas of my version and not the original one.  If anybody is not finding time to prepare the authentic masala, then they can opt for my method of preparing it.

I shall give below the original version also.

I love to eat this rice along with Pappadams, Appalams, Karuvadam and Onion Raita.

Bisibele Bhath

When I was carrying my daughter, I was craving for this dish.  I told one of my colleague to make it because she was from Karnataka, she said she does not know how to make it.  Finally, before my delivery, I  happened to be to my  family Doctor's house in the night when she was ready to eat her dinner.  She just asked me casually, Raji, Bisibela bhat khayegi, before she could finish the sentence, I  ran to her kitchen, pulled out a plate and took out some rice out of the cooker.  She gave me some karuvadam, vadiyum, papad etc. to eat along with it.  Piping hot from the cooker, I really enjoyed it.

When I checked with her the recipe, it was a long process.  Today, I wanted to make it as I was running short of time and everyone was hungry.  So I decided to make it and the recipe is here.  I adopted a simple method and it was lovely.

If you see the ingredients of the recipes in any of the sites, you will get a long list.  All those ingredients are included in the Garam masala except one or two.    So I decided to make  this way.

While preparing in the cooker, must ensure that it does not get burnt from the bottom.  or you can cook the same directly on a thick bottom vessel which you can check very often.


Let us look at the recipe now:

                                      
                                     Bisibele Hulianna l Bisibele Bhat

                                  Broken wheat Bisibele bhat l Lapsi Bisibele Bhat

BITTER GOURD PICKLE, PAVAKKA PICKLE, KAIPPAKKA URUGAI, KAIPAKKA UPPLILITATHU, KARELA ACHAR

Bittergourd or karela or pavakka or kaipakka  is a vegetables that is low in calorie but rich in many nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2 and B3, Vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganes, iron, calcium, beta-carotene and has high dietary fiber.  a hypoglycemic effect called charantin. It also has polypeptide, an insulin like compound that is good for diabetic patients.  in take of juice in the empty stomach helps in reducing the diabetic.

MYSORE PAK

Mysore Pak

Today is my daughter's birthday.  When i asked her  what should i make for her, she said Mysore Pak as she loves it.  Mysore pak is made with gramflour, sugar and ghee.  You can use generous amount of ghee in it but keeping the health factor, i have used only the required quantity and not more.

Mysore pak is a sweet dish made specially for Diwali and occasions like wedding, engagement etc.  It is a mouth watering rather meling in the mouth item and i love this.  I have seen my father making this but that time did not bother to  learn.  After coming to Mumbai, I attended a wedding there they served this mouth watering dish. Let me tell you, it melted in mouth so I decided to try my hand on it.

BIITER GOURD FRY, PAVAKKA FRY, KARELA FRY, KAIPPAKKA FRY - DIET FRIENDLY

BITTER GOURD FRY, PAVAKKA FRY, KARELA FRY, KAIPPAKKA FRY - DIET FRIENDLY

Karela or bittergourd or pavakka or kaipakka is bitter in taste but has got medicinal values as well as quite tasty if prepared well.  For diet friendly people, this method is quite ok with them as i have not used oil at all in this preparation.  I have already posted one recipe which is fried in oil.  Considering the health conscious people, i have made this in microwave oven and is cent percent diet friendly.  I could have very well  included the same in the same post but it will not serve the purpose much as people will think about frying them in oil only.

SARKARA PONGAL, VELLA PAYASAM,

SARKARA PONGAL, VELLA PAYASAM

Sarkara pongal is made for almost all the festivals. This pongal is part of Pongal festival too.   Rice, roasted moongdal with jaggery, roasted cashewnuts and the ghee, we all love the payasam.  I also like to fry the coconut bits in ghee and the kalkand (sugar candy) to put in.  This is made for neivedyam and is a part of the feast. (Sadya).  The taste of temple sarkara pongal is awesome.

COCONUT RICE, THENGA SAADAM, NARIYAL BHATH

As I have already briefed in my post of Thayir saadam or curd rice, many varieites of rice are prepared for Aadi Perukku.  Coconut rice is one among them.  It is a flavourful dish for tiffin box as well as sitting at home you can enjoy with papad or karuvadam or kurudai.  Baiscally rice is mixed with the coconut and tempered with mustard seeds and urid dal and fried kajus especially in coconut oil, i love this.

Coconut rice, thenga saadam

CURD RICE, YOGHURT RICE, THAYIR SADAM

To day is Aadi perukku or Pathinettam perukku. festival of Tamil nadu.  I do not have to elaborate much about this festival as all the Tamilians are aware of the importance of this festival.  However, for others, I  have to brief little bit about it.

During this festival varieties of rice  are made for the neivedyam out of which one is curd rice.   Curd rice is cool and any time it is good for the stomach.

South Indian meal is incomplete without Curd Rice.  After having the sambar, rasam rice and the payasam (Kheer), we await for the curd rice to relish with some pickle or puli inji (inji curry).  It is good in summer as it has got a cooling effect in the stomach. 

In olden days, people used to keep the left over rice in water and next day morning, they add some salt and asafetida and curd  or butter milk in it and with hand nicely smash the rice.  This is watery and they drink a glass or two of this before setting out for their work.  Normally,  we  consider it  as a good breakfast.  Even I remember, my mother used to give to us before going to school.  It is really filling and tasty especially of the brown rice.

Now coming to the point of making curd rice.

BHARLI VAANGI (STUFFED BRINJAL IN GRAVY)

BHARLI VAANGI

Brinjal is a favorite vegetable of mine.  Be it in sambar, dry subzi, bhajia, vaangi bhath anything i love it.  Since so many days i was thinking of making bharli vaangi and did not get time to do it.  Today, I was at home and thought I will make it for chapati.  My husband and children do not like this vegetable at all and i have to eat the whole stuff alone.     Ofcourse, it is not possible for me to eat the 250 gms vaangi which i made, so i decided to cook and share it with my maid who comes to make chapati for us.

RAW BANANA PARATHA (KACHE KELE KI PARATHA), VAZHAKAI PARATHA, VAZHAKKA PARATHA

RAW BANANA PARATHA (KACHE KELE KI PARATHA), VAZHAKAI PARATHA, VAZHAKKA PARATHA

Kache kele ik paratha or raw banana paratha or vazhakka paratha you name it anything, it is a lovely paratha with curd, sugar and pickle, i love it.   This partha is made with some oats, masalas, chopped onion etc.

 Parathas can be made with aloo, radish, carrot etc. etc. Raw banana 
is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6.  


The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars

LOTUS STEM SUBZI (KAMAL KAKKADI SUBZI), TAMARA KIZHANGU CURRY

 Lotus stem subzi is  also known as  Kamal Kakkadi, tamara kizhangu.  This root of lotus flower is also cooked in salt and chilli powder and dried and sold in almost all South Indian Stores is called Tamara Kizhangu Vattal.  It is deep fried in oil and served as a side dish for sambar, rasam and curd rice.

I was only aware of tamara kizhangu vattal till such time, one of my colleage who is a native of Uttarakhand brought some lovely pickle of this and i loved it.  another Sindhi friend of mine gave me the subzi made out of it and since then, whenever i get an opportunity to pick up some of these from D Mart, I never miss it.  I often make the subzi out of it though my children do not eat this.  They are very choosy and only selected items.

Now let us have a look at the ingredients of the subzi and some of the health benefits of this.