How about some modification or should I say modernization of a traditional recipe?

Wondering what I mean by it? Answer is the below recipe 🙂

Here is the recipe for the famous dish from Karnataka – BISI BELE BHAATH – cooked in a SLOW COOKER 🙂 The advantage of a slow cooker is that you put everything in it, turn it on and then, even if you are out the whole morning, you have the luxury of coming back home and having a hot meal 🙂

Bisi Bele bhaath (Hot lentil rice) is a rice dish, a one pot meal which is very popular in Karnataka, India. Cooking this dish in a slow cooker made my life easier for all the running around days, and trust me – the taste and flavor is not compromised even a bit 🙂

The below recipe yields a less spicy dish, so if you need more spice to the dish, increase the bisibele bhaath powder and chilli powder quantity.

Here you go – BISIBELE BHAATH in a SLOW COOKER 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

Rice – 1 cup – washed

Toor Dal – 1 cup – washed

Mixed Vegetables – 1 big cup – i used frozen veggies (beans, carrot, peas, corn) and potato

Green bell pepper / capsicum – 1 big – chopped

Tomato – 1

Onions – 1

Peanuts – 1/2 cup

Bisi Bele Bhaath powder – 2 tsp (or more based on the spice level required)

Tamarind paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Jaggery – about the size of a tamarind seed.

Salt – as per taste

For tempering:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

METHOD:

Get your electric rice cooker and turn it on to white rice mode. Heat oil and add the ingredients mentioned under the ‘for tempering’ section.

Once mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped tomatoes and bell pepper.

Saute till tomatoes turn mushy, and then add the rest of the mixed veggies (except onions).

Saute the veggies for about 5-8 minutes. Then add the washed rice and toor dal. Mix well.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix the tamarind paste, BisiBele Bhaath powder,chilli powder, turmeric powder and asofoetida to a paste consistency.

Add this paste to the veggies and rice in the rice cooker, add 5-6 cups of water, salt to taste, jaggery and mix well.

Before starting to cook, make sure the salt and the masala powders are perfect.

Close the rice cooker and low cook on high for 3 hours !

After 3 hours, once your Bisibele Bhaath is ready, in a pan, caramelize the onions using ghee / butter and add it to the rice.

BisiBele Bhaath is ready to be served.

Serve hot with Tomato onion raitha and some mixture / chips !