Bisi Bhele Bath

My friend got this awesome BBBath for lunch and I am yet to taste a better one. It was her mom’s recipe and I have made BBBath so many times since, but they still don’t taste like her mom’s. I just keep blaming the difference in the flavor of the spices that you get in India and US. ;) But my hubby and I enjoy the BBbath regularly. I hope you do the same!



Ingredients

To Grind:
Dhania seeds 200g
Dry Red Chilli 200g
Peppercorns 5g
Mustard seeds 5g
Jeera 10g
Fenugreek seed 5g
Urad & channa dhal 20g each
Patti (Cinnamon) 3-4small sticks
Cloves 2-3
Dry Coconut 20g

To Cook:
Rice 1 Cup
Toor Dhal 1/3 Cup
Vegetables 2 Cups (carrot, bean, peas, potato)
Tamarind 25g
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Mustard seed 1 tsp
Urad Dhal 1Tbsp
Chana Dhal 1 Tbsp
Curry Leaves 4-5
Coriander leaves a small bunch
Salt to taste

Roast all the ‘To grind’ ingredients with a little oil until it turns slightly brown and grind to a coarse powder. Store the powder in an airtight container.

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water and squeeze it to make a thick pulp.

Cook rice and dhal together and mash it well. Cook all the vegetables and keep it aside.

In a deep dish (Kadhai), add some oil and the pulp and let it boil.Add 2-3 Tbsp. of the powdered masala, turmeric powder, chili powder, curry leaves, coriander leaves and boil it for 10 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables and further cook for 10 minutes.

Then add the mashed rice and dhal mixture, and salt along with 2 or 3 cups of water (as required) and cook it for 5 minutes.

Garnish:
Meanwhile, in a separate kadhai, add a little oil. When the oil is ready, add mustard seeds. When the mustard starts splattering, add some urad and channa dhal along with some curry leaves. Add this to the bisi bhele bath. Garnish it with fried Cashew (optional).

I enjoy Bisibhele bath with some south Indian chivda or mixture or with some plain curd (yogurt).

Mochakottai kuzhambu (Brown beans Curry)

Mochakottai kulambu has been one of my favorites since childhood and the recipe I am sharing today has been passed on to me by my mom and I am very sure that it was from my grandma. Most of my childhood memories are with my grandparents and so I distinctly remember even the vessel that my grandma used to serve this kulambu. She used to make this kulambu with different mocha (beans), but my favorite was the black beans with brinjal (eggplant).
The week after my wedding, my mom quickly wrote down some easy recipes for daily south Indian cooking. It been more than 5 years and I still have her recipes in paper form. I decided to start my blog with my mother's recipes.

This is my first blog ever and so I appreciate your patience.

Ingredients:
Any dry Beans ½ cup · Bringal (eggplant) 4-5 · Onion medium 1 · Tomato medium 2 · Chili Powder 1-2 Tbsp. · Dania Powder 1-2 Tbsp. · Tamarind 25g · Shredded coconut 2-3 Tbsp. Curry leaves 4-5 Green Chili 2-3 · Gingely Oil 5 tbsp. · Salt to taste · Coriander leaves for garnishing

Soak the beans overnight or at least 3-4 hours. Cook the beans in the pressure cooker until 2 whistles if soaked overnight and 3 whistles if soaked for 3-4 hours.
Meanwhile, cut the onion and tomato into small pieces along with the eggplant. Add 2 tbsp. of oil in a deep dish (Kadhi) and fry onion until it turns brown. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes and then add the tomato and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat. Now add the vegetable to the mixture and enough water to cook. Once the vegetable is cooked, add the boiled beans, chili and Dania powder, salt and the tamarind pulp.

Let the kuzhambu boil for 5 minutes or until it becomes thick. Now add the shredded coconut and coriander leaves and boil for 2-3 minutes before switching off the stove.
Garnish with some coriander leaves.