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One pot bisi bele bath or masala khichdi in a white serving bowl with tempering.
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5 from 2 votes

Bisi Bele Bath | South Indian Masala Khichdi

Bisi Bele Bath is a healthy, nutritious, flavorful one-pot meal prepared using rice, lentils, vegetables, and aromatic spices in less than 30 minutes. This Karnataka-style masala khichdi can be prepared in a pressure cooker or instant pot. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Karnataka, South Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 308kcal
Author: Kushi

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker or Instant pot

Ingredients

Homemade bisi bele bath powder or use 2 to 3 tablespoon MTR bisi bele bath powder

  • 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
  • 4 to 6 Dry red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon Urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon Chana dal
  • 1 inch Cinnamon
  • 2 Cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon Fenugreek or Methi seeds

For bisi bele bath

  • 1 tablespoon Coconut oil or ghee
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida or Hing
  • 10 florets Broccoli or Cauliflower
  • 1 Carrot, chopped
  • 10 Green beans, chopped
  • ½ Capsicum chopped
  • ½ cup Toor dal or split pigeon peas
  • ½ cup Rice
  • 2 tablespoon Tamarind, soaked in ½ cup hot water
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon Bisi bele bath powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves for garnish

For the tempering

  • 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
  • ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 10 Cashews, chopped
  • 1 Dry red chile
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves

Instructions

Bisi bele bath powder recipe

  • Dry roast the coriander seeds on a low flame until crisp and aromatic. Transfer this to a plate.
    2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
  • Add dry red chilies, urad dal, chana dal, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and methi seeds to the same pan and saute until aromatic. Switch off the flame. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
    4 to 6 Dry red chilies, 1 teaspoon Urad dal, 1 teaspoon Chana dal, 1 inch Cinnamon, 2 Cloves, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, ⅛ teaspoon Fenugreek or Methi seeds
  • Let the spices cool down completely.
  • Transfer this to a blender and blend it to smooth powder.

Easy one-pot bisi bele bath in a pressure cooker

  • Nicely wash the toor dal and rice in water until it runs clear.
    ½ cup Toor dal or split pigeon peas, ½ cup Rice
  • Heat coconut oil or ghee in a pressure cooker. Add onion, turmeric, and asafoetida and saute until onion becomes translucent. To this, add all the veggies (broccoli, carrot, capsicum, beans, green peas) and saute for 2 minutes.
    1 tablespoon Coconut oil or ghee, 1 Onion, finely chopped, ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida or Hing, 10 florets Broccoli or Cauliflower, 1 Carrot, chopped, 10 Green beans, chopped, ½ Capsicum chopped
  • Add 4 cups of water, washed lentils, and rice, salt to taste, and pressure cook on a medium flame for two whistles.
    Salt to taste
  • Remove the weight once the pressure drops. Open the lid of your cooker and turn on the flame to medium.
  • In a bowl, add bisi bele bath powder with ½ cup of water and whisk to avoid lumps.
    2 to 3 tablespoon Bisi bele bath powder
  • Add this to the cooked vegetables and lentil mixture, soaked tamarind water, adjust the salt, bring it to a boil, and simmer to absorb the flavors very well. This thickens faster, so adjust the water to desired consistency.
    2 tablespoon Tamarind, soaked in ½ cup hot water

Make the tempering

  • Heat coconut oil in a pan. To this, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
    1 tablespoon Coconut oil, ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • When the mustard seeds splutter, add cashews, curry leaves, and broken dry red chile and saute until cashews become light golden in color.
    10 Cashews, chopped, 1 sprig Curry leaves, 1 Dry red chile
  • Add this tempering to bisi bele bath and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with boondi or chivda and raita or yogurt salad, and enjoy.
    Coriander leaves for garnish

Notes

  • You can substitute rice with quinoa to make quinoa bisi bele bath or even with brown rice, millet, or broken wheat.
  • Vary the spices as per your taste. Feel free to use store-bought bisi bele bath powder from Mtr or Maiyas. Adjust the amount you add. 
  • If you like it spicy, add red chili powder, slit green chile, or pepper powder as per your taste.
  • You can substitute coconut oil with butter, more ghee, or vegetable oil.
  • If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can prepare this dish in a pan. But it's time-consuming. You can soak the dal and rice for 30 minutes to reduce cooking time. 
  • Use any vegetables of your choice. You can add potato, eggplant, or zucchini. The more veggies, the more nutritious it is. 
  • This dish thickens as it cools down, add little water and warm up the dish before you serve.
  • To balance the sourness and spiciness, add 1 teaspoon of jaggery.
  • Skip onion to make it a no onion, no garlic recipe. 
  • To make masala khichdi restaurant style, you can cook dal, rice, and veggies separately and mix everything at the end. This method makes sure that rice is not mashed and vegetables are cooked but not soft. I do not try this as it is time-consuming and requires too much vessel cleaning. 
  • Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. This thickens as it cools. So add water and adjust the consistency and heat it on your stovetop. 

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3207IU | Vitamin C: 95mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg