How to make healthy Bisibele-Bath with Poha

Bisibele-bath is almost a staple in South-Indian households, especially Kannada kitchens, I feel. There is something about this sambar-rice that we all love, and the fact that it is healthy also, adds to the allure.

For a while now, I’ve been experimenting with poha, how to make various South Indian main course items with this lighter version, so that I still get to eat the comfort food, but with less carbs.

This is something I ate in my cousin’s house when I visited her in Mysore, and the husband and I loved it a lot. This cousin of mine has a knack in the kitchen. She makes things sound extremely easy, and anything that comes out of her kitchen is extremely tasty, and feels authentic. So it is her recipe that am sharing here.

 

Poha Bisibele Bath

Level - Medium
Preparation time - 30 min
Serves 2 people

Ingredients

1. Combination of veggies - 1 C [I used onions, beans, carrots and cauliflower , all finely diced into 1-inch pieces]
2. Toor Dal - 1/2 C
3. Tamarind paste - 2 Tbsp
4. Jaggery, grated - 2 Tbsp [Optional]
5. Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
6. MTR Bisibele Bath powder - 3 Tbsp
7. Thick Poha (Beaten rice) - 1 C
8. Salt - to taste
9. Boiling water - 1 C
10. For the tempering
11. Ghee (Clarified butter) - 1 Tbsp
12. Curry leaves - a bunch
13. Hing (Asafoetida) - a pinch

Instructions

1. Boil the toor dal and the vegetables separately in a pressure cooker.
2. Wash the poha well enough and keep aside.
3. In a pan, pour both the vegetables and the toor dal along with the water they have been boiled with and heat them.
4. Pour water, if required, so that the mixture gets a pouring consistency.
5. Add turmeric, Bisibele Bath powder, tamarind paste and jaggery to this and mix well.
6. Bring it all to a boil and let it simmer on a low flame for another 5 min, till the vegetables absorb the flavor of the masala.
7. Add salt to this.
8. Pour the poha to this vegetable mixture and bring it all to a boil. If the poha is too thick, you can also pressure cook all these ingredients for a short while to ensure the poha is cooked well enough.
9. Prepare the tempering by heating the ghee in a small pan and adding the curry leaves and the hing powder to it.
10. Pour this over the top of the prepared Bisibele Bath.
11. Serve hot, with papad, chips or raita.

Notes

1. As a do-ahead, you can make the masala by following the steps till 1-7. Refrigerate the masala, and add the poha when you want to eat it.
2. Do not let the bath stay for a long time after cooking. This needs to be eaten immediately
3. If you want a healthier version, you can replace the rice poha with the jowar ones. I’ve been making it with jowar poha for a while now. It is both earthy and healthy and very filling.