Bisibelabath means "Hot Lentil Rice" in Kannada. Bisibelabath is a popular recipe in Karnataka. We make Sambar Rice in Tamilnadu which is much similar to Bisibelabath. The uniqueness is its spice powder which has the tinge of masala. In our Tamilnadu version of Kadamba sambar, we also use the freshly ground sambar powder which has dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek, red chili and coconut. In addition to these spices, for Bisibelabath we use dry coconut, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and fennel. These few spices really add a nice flavor and makes this sambar rice even more special.
This recipe shows how to make this aroma rich Bisibelabath in Instant Pot. Making Instant Pot Bisibelabath is much easier than the conventional way. Conventionally we cook rice and dal together in pressure cooker and prepare the bisibelabath gravy in another pan and combine everything together. With Instant Pot, it's straight forward. We can start with tempering and finish with garnishing in a single shot. The rice and dal gets cooked nicely along with the freshly ground spice powder and vegetables. Finally we can just add ghee roasted cashew. Serve hot with Boondi / Potato Chips / Onion Raita !
This is normally served with Khara Boondi or potato wafers.A spoon of ghee before eating enhances taste.It can also be prepared with out using onions in some Brahmin households and on festive occasion when garlic and onions are normally avoided. But it should be eaten hot, which is BISI in Kannada. This dish is popular in old Mysore region of Karnataka and not known to Coastal and North Karnataka where food culture is entirely different.
Click here to see the Conventional method of cooking Bisibelabath
We can follow this same recipe and use Poha or Oats or any millets in place of Rice. If we want to use poha, just wash it and sprinkle little water and mix till soft and add once the bisibelabath mixture is ready.
Recipe Card for Instant Pot Bisibelabath:
Instant Pot Bisibelabath
Equipments Needed
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Lemon Size Tamarind
- ¾ Cup Toor Dal (Pigeon pea) 1 Cup - 250ml
- 1 Cup Raw Rice
- 5 Cups Water
For Bisibelabath Spice Powder
- 2 teaspoon Urad Dal
- 2 teaspoon Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
- 8 Red Chili Adjust according to your spice level
- 1" Cinnamon
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- Few Curry Leaves
- 2 tablespoon Desiccated Coconut
Other Spices
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Jaggery
For Tempering
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- Few Curry leaves
- a Pinch Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
Vegetables
- 1 Carrot Cubed
- 10 Beans Chopped to 1" pieces
- 2 Potato Cubed
- ¼ Cup Green Peas
- 1 Cup Baby Onion Peeled & washed
For Garnishing
- 2 tablespoon Coriander Leaves
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 tablespoon Cashew Ghee roasted Cashews
Instructions
Soaking Tamarind
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and extract juice and keep it aside
Preparing Bisibelabath Spice Powder
- Dry roast all ingredients given under "Bisibelabath Spice Powder" section and roast till the dal turns light brown
- Cool the roasted ingredients and take in a mixer jar. Add dry coconut and grind everything to a fine powder. Keep this Bisibelabath Powder aside
Start with Tempering
- Switch on the Instant Pot in Sauté Mode. Heat ghee in the pot. Add mustard and cumin seeds and allow it to sputter.
- Add Asafoetida and curry leaves and give a mix
Adding Veggies & Spice
- Now add the baby onions and Sauté in ghee till translucent
- Then add all the vegetables and give a good mix.
- Now add the ground bisibelabath powder we prepared earlier and mix well
- Time to add Tamarind juice. Stir everything. Add washed toor dal and rice to the instant pot and mix.
- Finally add salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and 5 cups of water. Our Bisibelabath mixture is now ready to get cooked
Cooking Process
- Cancel the Sauté mode in the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot with the lid and secure the vent to "Sealing" Position
- Press the "Pressure Cook/ Manual" mode and set the timer for 8 mins.
- Once the cooking process is done, allow the pressure to naturally release fully. The Vent will be relased to "Venting" mode. Open the lid carefully. Stir the Bisibelabath nicely.
Garnishing Time
- Time to garnish. Garnish the yummy Bisibelabath with coriander leaves, ghee and ghee roasted cashews and give final mix
Serving Time!
- Serve the yummy Bisibelabath with Onion raita, Boondi, papad and enjoy the complete meal!
Video
Notes
- We can use Store bought Bisibelabath Powder instead of freshly grinding that will quicken the process. You can read the instruction given in the back of store bought powder label and add the powder accordingly
- For Instant pot cooking, we don't need to soak the rice. We can wash the rice and dal and add it directly to the pot
- 1 lemon size will be around 2 tablespoon of tamarind paste
- If you don't have dry coconut, use the fresh coconut but fry the fresh coconut till brown and then grind it along with other grinding ingredients. I have used store bought desiccated coconut
- We can follow the same procedure and cook Bisibelabath in Pressure cooker also. At times, some brands of toor dal don't cook properly in tamarind juice. So we can cook rice and dal separately and prepare the bisibelabath mixture and mix everything together
- Some times the Bisibelabath turns too thick after few hours. You can add hot boiling water along with ghee and mix it to bring back to the consistency that you want.
Nutritional Info
Method with Step by Step Pictures:
SOAKING TAMARIND
-
Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and extract juice and keep it aside
PREPARING BISIBELABATH POWDER
-
Dry roast all ingredients given under "Bisibelabath Powder" section and roast till the dal turns light brown
-
Cool the roasted ingredients and take in a mixer jar. Add dry coconut and grind everything to a fine powder. Keep this Bisibelabath Powder aside
START WITH TEMPERING
-
Switch on the Instant Pot in Sauté Mode. Heat ghee in the pot. Add mustard and cumin seeds and allow it to sputter. Add Asafoetida and curry leaves and give a mix
ADDING VEGGIES & SPICE
-
Now add the baby onions and Sauté in ghee till translucent. Then add all the vegetables and give a good mix.
-
Now add the ground bisibelabath powder we prepared earlier and mix well. Time to add Tamarind juice. Stir everything.
-
Add washed toor dal and rice to the instant pot and mix.
-
Finally add salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and 5 cups of water. Our Bisibelabath mixture is now ready to get cooked
COOKING PROCESS
-
Cancel the Sauté mode in the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot with the lid and secure the vent to "Sealing" Position. Press the "Pressure Cook/ Manual" mode and set the timer for 8 mins. Once the cooking process is done, allow the pressure to naturally release fully. The Vent will be relased to "Venting" mode. Open the lid carefully. Stir the Bisibelabath nicely.
GARNISHING TIME
-
Time to garnish. Garnish the yummy Bisibelabath with coriander leaves, ghee and ghee roasted cashews and give final mix
SERVING TIME!
-
Serve the yummy Bisibelabath with Onion raita, Boondi, papad and enjoy the complete meal!
