Bisi bele bath

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• ½ cup toor dal
• 2 cups mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, peas, potato, drumstick, chayote)
• 1 small lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in ½ cup warm water
• 1 tbsp grated jaggery
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• For the spice powder: 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tbsp urad dal, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, 6–8 dried byadgi chillies, 1 small piece cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 tbsp dry coconut (kopra), 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A sprig of curry leaves
• A pinch of hing
• 12 cashews

Method

1. Wash the rice and dal and pressure-cook them together with 5 cups of water and the turmeric until very soft. Mash lightly.
2. Dry-roast the spice-powder ingredients one by one on low heat until fragrant, and grind them to a fine powder when cool.
3. Boil the vegetables in a large pot with a little water and salt until just tender.
4. Add the tamarind extract, jaggery and 3–4 tbsp of the spice powder. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the cooked rice and dal, adding hot water to get a soft, flowing consistency. Simmer for 5–8 minutes.
6. Heat ghee, fry the cashews, then add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing. Pour over the bath and serve hot with boondi or potato chips.