Bisibele Bath and Curd Rice Classic Karnataka Combo

This is a classic kannadiga dish with curd rice, a perfect combo and a complete meal.
Savoured with fried papad, chips or sometimes even with raita.
It is one of my favourite dish since childhood, I am happy my kids and husband also love it.
It is a blend of spices, rice, toor dal and veggies.
Its perfect blend of all these and makes heavenly when had with a dash of ghee and fries.
I guess every region of India has something like this, a perfect, comfort combo.

Bisibele Bhat:
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup washed and soaked 20 minutes.
Toor Dal - 3/4 cup,
Tomatoes - 3 medium,
Veggies - 1 cup (beans, Carrot, potato, peas),
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon,
Tamarind - 1 medium lemon (indian) sized soaked in warm water,
Jaggery - Small marble size,
Salt.

To Grind and Roast:
Oil - 2 teaspoons,
Chana Dal - 1 fistful,
Coriander Seeds - 1 fistful,
Urad Dal - 1/2 fistful,
Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon,
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece,
Cloves - 5,
Cardamom - 1,
Whole Dry Red Chillies - 5 Normal Spicy Red Chillies,
Whole Dry Kashmiri/Byadagi Red Chillies - 5,
Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon,
Poppy Seeds - 1 teaspoon,
Coconut - 1 cup grated.

To Temper:
Oil/Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 2 teaspoons,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Peanuts - 1/2 cup,
Curry leaves - 20.

Method:
Wash and cut vegetables into two inch cubes and cook with little water until just done.
If you are using dried peas, soak overnight and pressure cook with salt and keep aside.
Pressure cook toor dal, tomatoes and turmeric for 3-4 whistles. Once the steam cools down, Mash well and keep aside.
Roast all the ingredients under roast and grind table(except coconut), until the dals are browned and finally add coconut and fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cool and grind to smooth paste with water.
Extract the tamarind juice.
In a large sauce pan, mix tamarind juice, veggies, salt, dal and jaggery and bring to boil.
Once the raw smell of the tamarind is evaporated and you get the nice aroma of the jaggery and tamarind, add ground paste and allow to boil for couple of minutes.
Add 2 cups of water. Allow to boil.
Drain water from the rice and add to the boiling mixture, and turn the heat to medium and cover and cook until the rice is completely cooked.
Keep stirring it occasionally, to avoid the rice and spice mixture getting burnt.
Lower the flame to low, once the rice is cooked 90%.
Once the rice is completely cooked , remove from heat and temper with the ingredients under tempering table and serve hot with ghee and fries.

Note:
If you find the boiling mixture is too thick, then you can add water as required.
The final dish should be of medium consistency, nor too thick or too thin.
If you want add onions to the dish,
Then if you are adding shallots, you can add while cooking the dal and tomato.
Or you can chop normal onion and add while tempering, once you have added curry leaves then you can chopped onion and fry until glossy and add to the rice.
You can add 2 medium sized onions or 50 grams of shallots(small onions).
Instead of peanuts, you can also add cashews.

Curd Rice:
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup cooked
Yogurt - 1cup,
Milk - 1/2 cup,
Salt,
Pomegranate - 1 tablespoon,
Grapes - Red or Green cut into halves 1 hand ful,
OR
Dried Grapes - 11/2 teaspoon soaked in hot water for 1/2 hour,
Grated Carrot - 1 Tablespoon,
Cucumber - De seeded and finely chopped 2 teaspoons,

To Temper:
Oil - 2 teaspoon,
Mustard - 1 teaspoon,
Asafoetida - a fat pinch,
Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon,
Grated Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon,
Curry Leaves - 8-10,
Green Chillies - 2-4 finely chopped
Or Red Chillies - 2-3 broken,
Chopped Coriander - 1 Tablespoon.

Method:
Cook rice with enough water, tip is while cooking for curd rice, add 1/2 cup of milk to make the rice creamier.
Slightly over cook the rice and completely cool the rice.
Add yogurt and milk to the rice and mix well.
Adjust the consistency and taste, by adding more of milk or yogurt according to your taste.
Add salt.
Mix in pomegranate, grapes(is using soaked dried grapes, completely squeeze the water and then add to the rice), carrot, cucumber and mix gently.
Temper with ingredients under the tempering table, in the same order and add to curd rice and enjoy.

Note:
It is not compulsory to add all veggies and fruits that I have mentioned.
It is completely of your choice to add or delete any of them.
You can also completely omit fruit and veggies and make  dowith just tempering, even that tastes heavenly.