| Prep Time | 15-30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup rice, such as basmati I typically use white basmati, feel free to sub with millets or brown rice
- 1/2 cup toor dal plus a pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 small lime sized Tamarind pulp soak in warm water
- 3 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp toor dal or toor and chana dal, combined
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds/dhania + 1 tsp fenugreek
- 2 inch piece cinnamon stick + 5 cloves cinnamon and cloves are a must in this recipe
- 1 pinch kalpasi optional ; See notes
- 3-4 pieces marati moggu optional; see notes
- 1/2 cup fresh/frozen, thawed coconut
- 8-10 dry red chilies use less or substitute with kashmiri chilies for less heat
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Hing
- 1/4 cup raw or dry roasted peanuts
- 1-2 dry red chilies
- 3 tbsp ghee or ghee+oil mixed
- 2 cups assorted, chopped vegetables Almost any vegetable can be used (except maybe broccoli)
Ingredients
Base: Grains and Legumes
Spices To Roast And Grind To A Paste
Tempering
Vegetables
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- To start, measure all the spices and ingredients. Start with the dal in the Instant Pot (IP), with 3 measures of water, and a pinch of turmeric.
- Extract tamarind juice from the pulp, to make roughly two cups
- Start with the toor dal in the IP - I cook it for about 15 mins under pressure (sealed), then release the pressure - to do this, using a stick/ladle, turn the valve into vent position quickly, away from your face. Once it releases the steam, the IP can be opened safely. Dal:water in 1:3 ratio, with a pinch of turmeric powder.
- While the dal is cooking: Get the vegetables ready - shallots, carrots, beans, wash and soak the rice in water to immerse it
- After releasing the pressure, open the IP, add the vegetables, tamarind extract, rice, salt, and water. Ratio of rice:water 1:3, add about 1 cup of water for vegetables.
- Cover, select "Rice" setting on the IP display, cook in sealed position
- While the rice is cooking, toast the masala ingredients in a bit of oil: start with cinnamon, cloves, kalpasi, marati muggu if using, and then add the dal, fenugreek, coriander seeds, and chilies, and finally coconut. Cool and blend into a thick paste adding a bit of water as needed
- Open the IP after releasing pressure, add the ground masala, and cook without sealing/pressure for about 5-7 minutes to let the flavors be absorbed
- Open, and temper as usual! Bisibela in one pot (except for roasting spices and tempering) is ready!
Grains: I have given the recipe using white/basmati rice. You may substitute with millets of your choice such as pearl millet, or quinoa. Or use half and half (rice + millets) to make it healthy, while not feeling deprived of rice.
Vegetables: Feel free to use any combination of vegetables you may have on hand. My most favorites are shallots and drumsticks (moringa stem, not the leaves), as they both impart a lovely flavor to the dish.
Kalpasi: This is a kind of fungi that's used a lot in Chettinad cuisine. It's not easily available in the US. I found it in Bangalore. I have also made it without this spice for years, but using it definitely adds a flavor dimension.
MarathiMoggu:
Another spice that I only found in Bangalore in any store, I love adding this to this as well as my vangibaath. But you can make it without it as well.
This is indeed a wholesome, one-pot meal that incorporates all the food groups and is a crowd pleaser. Easily scalable (just increase everything proportionately using this as a base to serve 4-6 people), it's a great main dish for parties.
My recipe is a blend of tips and tricks I learned from my Kannadiga friends, my mom, and cousins. If you do make it, would love to see photos of it!
Instant Pot Recipe - Updated:
I have not included detailed instructions for pressure release and settings on the IP. If you're used to cooking in IP, you most likely know how to do all that. A separate post on IP may be posted if needed, but there are thousands of IP usage instructionals on the interwebs. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel 🙂