Bisibelabath

Prep time - 30 mins
Cooking time-  20- 25 mins

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
Thuvar dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Shallots / baby onions
Water - 6 cups
Ghee - 1- 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp
Tamarind - one small lemon sized


Vegetables:

Potato - 1 cut into cubes
Carrot - 2 medium, cut into cubes
Peas - 1/2 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup cut into 1 inch
Chow chow / Chayote - 1/2 cup cut into cubes
Any other vegetable of choice can be added except okra / ladyfinger , beetroot


For the paste:


Chana dal - 2 tsp
Thuvar dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds / Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilies - as per taste ( I used 7)
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch stick
Cloves- 5 pieces

For the seasoning  :

Mustard
Urad dal
Chana dal
Asafoetida 
Curry leaves

Procedure 

Boil all the vegetables  and cook rice, thuvar dal and turmeric in 6 cups of water .
Soak tamarind in hot water ( 2 cup ) and squeeze the pulp into the water.

Take a large pan and heat oil. Once hot add in the mustard seeds, let them splutter and then add urad dal , chana dal and asafoetida. Give it a quick stir and add in the curry leaves and baby onions and keep stirring till the onions become translucent. At this stage add the tamarind water and boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

Now in another small pan take a tsp of oil and add all the ingredients mentioned under "for the paste" section and roast till the dals turn light orange in color. Cool and grind this mixture along with coconut and little water.

Add this paste to the boiled tamarind water and cook till there is enough water for both vegetables and rice .
(Bisibelabath should have a semi-solid consistency; so you should add enough water considering the quantity of both the vegetables and rice)

Now add the vegetables and salt and mix it properly..

At this stage take the rice and tuvar dal mix. Take a large spoon and mix the rice and thuvar dal so that they both get mashed enough and add it to the vegetables. Mix it nicely.Turn the heat to low.

The following step adds to the taste of Bisibelabath:

Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashew nuts, fry till they turn golden in color. Switch off the heat and add this ghee-cashew nut mix into the Bisibelabath and mix .

Serve hot with onion raita and papad/vattal.