Bisibelabath

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 1/2 cup (soak in water for about 1 ½ hrs)
• Toor dal - 3/4th cup
• Vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, peas, capcisum (1))
• Curry leaves
• For sambar: small onions*, drumsticks (optional), tamarind juice, sambar podi
• Mustard, Fenugreek seeds, asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• For bisibelabath powder: ¾ cup coriander seeds, ½ cup channa dal, 6-7 red chillies**, 5-6 cloves, few cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ cup coconut
• Ghee, Oil

Method:
For powder:

1. In a small dry pan, add all the for powder ingredients (without the coconut)  and saute till the raw smell is gone and the dal turns a little brown.
2. Let this cool for a bit and grind it along with coconut till powder.

Bisibelabath method:

1. Cut all the vegetables (a little big) and pressure cook it with toor dal a 1 spoon of ghee for 3-4 whistles.
2. Meanwhile in a kadai, add little oil.
3. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and let the mustard splutter.
4. Now add curry leaves,onions and drumsticks (if using) and very little salt (for the onions and drumsticks).
5. Saute till the onions turn light brown.
6. Add 2 spoons sambar powder and about 2 cups of tamarind juice.
7. Let the sambar come to boil.
8. Add the boiling sambar to the cooked vegetables.
9. Add salt (for all the vegetables and dal) and the bisibelabath powder.
10. Add the rice and some water if necessary and boil till the rice is cooked.
11. Keep stirring till the rice to avoid sticking to the pan.
12. Keep adding water if necessary while cooking the rice.
13. Serve hot, with raita (cucumber or onion) and with paapads!

* If you do not have small onions, substitute it with 1/2 a regular onion cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

** Adjust the number of red chillies according to your spice tolerance.