Bisi Bele Bhaat

Couple of my friends had been asking for my Bisi Bele Bhaat recipe since a looooong time..... I finally made up my mind and prepared it today!!!Anjana, Shwetha....I'm sorry about the delay.... But I'm sure you'll understand ;))

Bisibele Bhaat has been an all time favourite dish for all kannadigas... And its no different in our house. Naveen is a huuuuuuge Bisi Bele Bhaat lover. With some raita, he can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the next day's breakfast too!!! :))

Most of the people use Urad/Chana dal for the Bisi Bele Bhaat masala. But the one that I have for you here is a little different. I got this recipe from my mom and she got it from her grandmom, years ago.... So you can say, this recipe has been passing down in the family since generations!! :). Hope you like it as much we do!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice
1 cup Toor dal
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp Oil
1 Onion medium sized
1 cup Peas and carrots, chopped
1/2 cup Beans, chopped
1 Potato, medium sized
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsp Cashews
2 tbsp Ghee
A pinch of hing
Salt as per taste

For the Masala:
4-5 Dry red chillies, low to medium spiced
3 tsp Coriander seeds
4-5 Cloves
4"-5" Cinnamon/Chakke/Dalchini

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into strips. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into 1" cubes.


2. Add oil and haldi to the dal;Pressure cook rice, dal and vegetables with lots of water (I use 6 cups of water for every cup of rice and toor dal). Make sure that the dal and rice is well cooked.


3. Meanwhile, dry roast red chillies, cinnamon, coriander seeds and cloves until you smell the fresh aroma of masalas.


4. Powder the masala in a blender without adding any water.


5. Add grated coconut and grind the masala to a smooth paste with some water.


6. Mix the masala with the cooked rice-dal-veggie mixture;Heat the mixture on medium flame and bring to boil. Stir regularly.


7. Add tamarind paste,jaggery and salt; Mix well and bring to boil again.


8. For the tadka, heat ghee; Add mustard seeds. Add hing, cashews and curry leaves after the seeds splutter. Mix well with Bisi Bele Bhaat and serve hot with raita/potato chips/mixture!

Palak-Corn/Spinach-Corn Soup

Couple of weeks back, one of our friends had invited us over for dinner and that was where I had Spinach soup for the first time. Naveen and I loved it instantly!! I decided to come home and try it myself sometime.
And I finally made it over the weekend!!! Weekend was cold and rainy ...And the weather was perfect for us to relish a hot bowl of soup. Thanx Sangeeta, for sharing tips on this lovely and healthy recipe. Hope you all like it !! This will also be my entry for Nupur's 'P' of A to Z of Indian Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 bunch Fresh Spinach

1/2 cup Sweet corn kernels
1 Tomato, small sized
1 Onion, medium sized
2 tsp Butter
3-4 Cloves
2" Cinnamon stick
1" Fresh Ginger

3-4 tbsp Whole Milk
1/2 tsp Black pepper, powdered
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut spinach leaves into pieces. Cut onions and tomatoes into chunks


2. Cook spinach onions and ginger in salt water until they become soft and are cooked. To this, add tomotoes, a little before the spinach and onions are done.


3. Switch off the stove after the veggies are cooked and let it cool.


4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp butter in a kadai and add cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute and keep aside.


5. Cook corn kernels in microwave for about 3 mins or until they are cooked and keep aside.


6. Blend together spinach, onions, tomatoes, ginger and cloves-cinnamon.


7. Add corn and milk to the above spinach mixture and bring to boil on stove. Add water if required.


8. Add salt and pepper and serve hot with butter!

Corn Chaat

Sometimes I wonder why chaat items are termed as Junk Food..... All it contains is some raw veggies( like carrots, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes), murmure/cooked channa/corn, little oil and some masalas.... Which are all good for health and also very low on calories!! The oil we add here is almost negligible, compared to pakoras and other fried items. So, I would prefer to call this dish as a healthy food than call it Junk Food. Am I not right, people??!!??

Both Naveen and I love chaats so much, that I make them as starters whenever I have guests over for dinner!!! Here's one such chaat recipe that has won me a lot of appreciation from all my friends...This one is sure to set your taste buds tingling!!! :)

Ingredients:

2 cups Sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup Chopped Onions (Red Onions give a good color. Since I ran short of red onions, I have used yellow onions in the picture)
1/4 cup Grated Carrots
1 tsp Chaat Masala
1/4 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Lime juice
1/2 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Nylon Sev

1-2 strands Cilantro

2 tsp Oil
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Cook the corn kernels in the microwave for about 3 mins, or until they are cooked.


2. In a mixing bowl add oil, cooked corn, carrots, onions, chilli powder, chaat masala, salt, sugar , lime juice and mix well. Add more masalas if required.


3. Garnish with Sev, Cilantro and serve immediately.