Bisi bele bath

Bisi bele bath is a one-pot dish of rice and toor dal cooked together with vegetables and a ground spice blend, from the Indian state of Karnataka. It is sold across southern India and is served as a main meal.

What it really is

The dish is built on rice and toor dal (split pigeon peas), cooked together until soft with tamarind, mixed vegetables such as carrot, beans and peas, and a masala of roasted spices and dried coconut. The name means "hot lentil rice" in Kannada. The spice mix, bisi bele bath powder, typically includes coriander seed, dried red chillies, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fenugreek and sometimes asafoetida, and each household or cook makes its own blend.

The rice and dal are cooked to a loose, porridge-like consistency, then the dish is finished with a tempering of ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves and often fried cashews or peanuts. Because the spice paste is cooked into the rice, the dish is closer to a khichdi than to a pilaf. It differs from plain dal rice in its ground masala and vegetables, and from sambar in that the lentils and rice are cooked together rather than served as a separate stew.

How it's served

• Served hot in a bowl or on a steel plate as a complete meal
• Usually accompanied by boondi, potato chips or fried papad for crunch
• Often topped with a spoonful of ghee and sometimes plain yoghurt or raita
• Eaten with a spoon, and often part of a lunch alongside pickle

How to write it on the menu

• Write as bisi bele bath and name the main ingredients: rice, toor dal, mixed vegetables, tamarind and the house spice blend
• Flag nuts if fried cashews or peanuts are added as a garnish (CASHEWS, PEANUTS)
• State if the dish is made with ghee, since it is a key part of the finish
• Mention whether it is a mild or hot version, as the chilli level varies by cook