Quick Bisi Bele Bath

          Today's post is going to be a quick alternative for the delicious Bisi Bele Bath, making it the traditional way may be little lengthy, grinding the special bisi bele bath masala paste, cooking the rice and lentils, then the vegetables and then mixing them all together for the final dish. But, I have made this like a one pot meal, in the pressure pan or cooker, it's very easy to make and the taste is really good. Since avarakelu is in season now, I have used it along with red pumpkin, but if you can't find avarakelu, you can use frozen or fresh green peas..

Need To Have

• Rice - 1 cup
• Tuvar Dal/ Split Pigeon Peas - 1/3 cup
• Onions - 2 small
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Avarakelu/Papdi Lilva - 1 cup
• Red Pumpkin - 2 cups, diced
• Sambar Powder - 4 teaspoons
• Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 3 tablespoons
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Raw Peanuts - 3 tablespoons
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 15

Method

          Wash the rice and lentils together and take it in a pressure cooker.

           Add the avarakelu, pumpkin pieces, onion, tomatoes, sambar powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, fenugreek powder and salt along with about 4 to 41/2  cups of water and pressure cook it.

          Grind the grated coconut into a smooth paste. Add the coconut paste and garam masala to the cooked rice, mix it well and cook on reduced heat for about 5 minutes and remove. Heat some oil and ghee, add the peanuts, roast it till it starts turning golden, at that stage add the urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves, mix for a minute and add it to the cooked rice.

Note
I have given the water amount as 4 to 41/2 cups, because this dish should be slightly loose, not very thick. Even after the rice is cooked, when adding the coconut paste, if needed add some water and mix. Bisi bele bath thickens as it cools.
Ghee gives a nice flavor and peanuts gives a nice crunch to the rice.
If you are cooking the rice and dal directly in the pressure pan, like I have done, then after 1 whistle, reduce the heat to low and cook it for about 10 to 12 minutes.