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Bisi Bele Bath Powder

by Pratiba

The cold chilly days of Shimoga, specially in the mornings, urged me to start my mornings with a cup of coffee to make myself warm. For certain accounts I had quit coffee after the early part of 2012. Today I see myself sipping coffee as soon as I get out of my sleep in the morning. It is the same with him as well. Very strange as to how our habits take a twist once there is a location change or a climate change.

One dish that caresses South Indian taste-buds during these cold days is the Bisi Bele Bath. For those who are new to this name, bisi bele bath is a mix of lentils, rice and vegetables, seasoned with some additional spices and this must be served hot.

He has an infatuation towards this preparation and masters the knowledge of how it should taste and look like. I personally prefer pulavs / biriyanis when it comes to rice, but occasional indulgences into this hot lentil mix makes me happy as well.

The prime part of bisi bele bath (BBB) is the masala powder. My MIL makes one of the best BBB among what we find around us. After I got married to step into my new home, I remember Bisi Bele Bath was the first special dish that was cooked by my MIL for the family meal.

People of Karnataka do take pride to be the hosts and serve this authentic one pot meal on several occasions. The aroma is very appetizing and words may not be able to express themselves when it comes to the jolt of flavor that hits the tongue.

This post is just to adorn the importance of the masala that goes into bisi bele bath, and by now a few must have already guessed what might be my next post as well. ;)

Bisi Bele Bath Powder

  • Servings: 1 jar of the powder
  • Difficulty: fairly easy
  • Print

  • This recipe uses masala similar to a Sambhar Masala. But the only difference that makes the powder stand out is the addition of a couple of aromatic spices that takes the bisi bele bath flavours to another level. I would recommend not to skip any of the ingredients to get a complete experience of this fulfilling one pot meal.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups – Coriander Seeds
  • 1.5 cups – Byadagi Chillies – Tightly packed
  • 1.5 cups – Guntur Chillies – Tightly packed
  • 1/2 cup – Channa Dal / Yellow split peas
  • 1/4 cup minus 1 tsp – Urad Dal / Black gram split lentil
  • 1 tsp – Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Seeds)
  • 3 tbsp – Cumin Seeds
  • 3 tbsp – Sesame Seeds
  • 2 tbsp – Black pepper corns
  • 2 twigs – Curry Leaves
  • 2 tbsp – Dry Coconut

    • Aromatic Spices
  • 2 tbsp – Cloves (Lavanga)
  • 1 piece – Mace (Jai Patre)
  • 1 – Kapok Buds (Marathi Moggu)
  • 3 – Cardamom Pods – (Elaichi)
  • 1/2 piece – Nutmeg (Jai Kai)
  • 1 inch stick – Cinnamon


Directions

  • Dry roast all the ingredients separately on a medium heat, except the aromatic spices. Note: Roast the ingredients one by one. Roast them until you smell a good aroma. Set them aside.
  • Dry roast the aromatic spices separately on a low heat. Each spice needs to be roasted for half a minute.
  • Combine all the roasted ingredients together and dry roast for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
  • Wait for the roasted ingredients to cool completely.
  • Grind the ingredients in a mixing jar to a fine powder. Ensure your mixing jar is completely dry and does not have any moisture.
  • Store the powder in an air tight container.
    • Note:
    1) Poppy Seeds and Asafetida are essential ingredients of the BBB masala. But in my kitchen hold, these ingredients are freshly added while making this dish.
    2) If you do not wish to add all the ingredients under the “aromatic spices” section, then you may skip mace and kapok buds.

CategoriesLunch Indian Mysore Udupi Rice Bath / Pulav / Biriyani Spice Mixtures

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  8. kp vidyashankar says:

    Hi Pratibha, my MIL gives me the powder and I just make the BBB with help from my wife. Can you give the portions in GRAMS instead of cups or in addition to the cups portions. It makes it easy for part timers like me to buy these things and scare the hell out of people at home with my culinary skills.

    PS : They dont know that I use UR web site and also Samaithu paar to get authentic karnataka and Tamil nadu recipes.

    Reply
  10. paddu says:

    thanksfor the amazing recipe.. It has been a hit in our house.. Can I add poppy seeds to the BBB powder. if yes,how much poppy seeds should I add to this 500 gms of BBBmasala.

    Reply
  11. usha says:

    Hi pratiba thanks so much for sharing this recipe…..BBB is my all time fav :)
    I jst want to knw how much rice & veggies need to b added for 500 gms of powder. Bcuz if I want to prepare for more members I need to knw how much this 500gms would serve…..
    Thanks in advance & waiting for ur reply

    Reply
  12. jmk says:

    I am wondering if about marathi moggu. I bought some dried online and was surprised to discover they had no odor and barely any taste when chewed (barely perceptible musky taste). That is before roasting or grinding them. Is this normal o r are mine stale? I’ve never had “real” Bise bele bath so do not have a reference. thanks.

    Reply
    1. Pratiba Bhat says:

      Hi JMK, Marathi Moggu or Kapok Buds release their complete flavor only when roasted in oil or when cooked. They do not have any odour or taste as it is. It has to be exposed to frying or cooking :)

      Reply

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  14. Ravi kumar says:

    As you are looking very smart your dish is also very smart in taste Thanks for lovely powder,

    You smile is superb keep smiling always.

    Reply
  17. Sobia says:

    Hi Pratiba,

    Thanks for posting this recipe, I was looking for a good recipe for “Bisi Bele Bath”podwer, finally found it on your blog.

    Could, you pleasee assist me as where we would be able to find the followind ingredients “Byadagi, Guntur Chillies and Marathi Moggu”, as we are in North America and these species are not label with these name. Also, can you please do let me know an alternative way instead of these chillies.

    Thanks,

    SA

    Reply
    1. Pratiba Bhat says:

      Hello Sobia, Byadagi Chillies are nothing but the dry red chillies which you can find at your place too.

      Guntur Chillies are also named as “334 Chillies” which is generally exported from India to other countries. I would assume it may not be easily available everywhere around the world. But still do try out some local markets that would sell such produce. It’ll look like the dry red chilli but still there will be a slight difference in looks. If you do not get access to Guntur Chillies use the normal dry red chillies itself.

      Marathi Moggu (called as Kapok Buds in English) will be available in any shop that sells spices like cinnamon or cloves. For your reference I’ll take some pictures of all the spices used here and put it up here. That might help you in a way.

      Do let me know if you have further queries. Thanks!

      Reply

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  21. Divya says:

    Oh i just loved the new header with that orange in between I am so glad you posted something today. was just missing your writings a lot. And Im even more excited for the next one. I guess im addicted. B-)

    Reply
    1. Pragalbha says:

      For a long time I was looking for an authentic Kannada recipe of Bisi Bele bhaat which I found on your blog! I am going to try this today. I was actually hoping to find the actual preparation method too – specially what vegetables taste best in BisiBele bhaat. If you ever get a chance, please post that. Thanks much!

      Reply

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