Instant Pot Bisi Bele Bath is the easier way to make this classic South Indian dish. This is a South Indian style rice and split pigeon peas medley. This wholesome and nourishing dish has veggies, some tangy tamarind, and fresh ground spices. Eaten for breakfast and lunch, this has its origins in Karnataka, which is a Kannada-speaking Southern state in India.
Bisi Bele Bath is the Kannada name for this dish and it translates to hot dal and rice. The authentic version has short-grained rice, Toor dal, tamarind, and a flavorful spice powder that has coriander seeds, cloves, and cinnamon among other things.
And if you are wondering if Sambar sadam and this are the same, then the answer is no. Sambar sadam is a typical Tamil style dish and uses Sambar powder. Even though they use similar ingredients, the little things are what make this wholesome dish uniquely different from Sambar Sadam.
Jump to:
I have often marveled at the genius of this one-pot dish. When you think about it, it is a wholesome, balanced meal in itself. The rice provides the carbs, dal, protein, and veggies the micronutrients. The spices and the tamarind have all sorts of beneficial properties.
Ingredients
Rice/ Carbs
Short-grained rice, typically, Sona Masuri or raw rice is used. You can also use brown rice, quinoa, or millet in its stead.
Dal/ lentils
This recipe is simply incomplete without Toor Dal ( split pigeon peas). One of the main factors in nailing this dish right is the rice and dal proportions.
Tamarind
I have used tamarind extract here. To make this tamarind extract, soak 10g tamarind in 7 tablespoon warm water for 20 mins. After 20 mins, squeeze the tamarind well along with the water. Discard all the strings and seeds. This is our tamarind extract. If you do not have access to tamarind, you can also use tamarind paste.
For the quantity of ingredients mentioned in this recipe, you will need 1.5 tablespoon tamarind paste and 7 tablespoon warm water. Just whisk everything well using a balloon whisk.
Vegetables
I have used a combination of carrots, beans, and peas. This is by far the best combination that works here. Other than this, I have used shallots. If you cannot source shallots, please use ¼ finely chopped regular onions or just skip them.
Spice powder
Now comes the most interesting part of this recipe. I love Bisi Bele Bath masala powder. And I always have a stash of it in my freezer. In this recipe, I have used homemade MTR style Bisi Bele Bath Masala. You can use any store-bought Bisi Bele bath masala mix to make this.
Jaggery
The authentic recipe has a hint of jaggery. This balances the tangy and spicy tastes beautifully in this iconic Karnataka dish. Please do not use maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar in place of jaggery. You can use palm jaggery or coconut sugar instead of jaggery.
Variations
Like I mentioned before, you can use millet, brown rice, or quinoa in place of regular rice in this recipe.
Here are the proportions, cooking time and mode:
Instant Pot Millet Bisi Bele Bath
Barnyard millet or Kodo millet or little millet works well here. For every ¾ c of millet used, you need 10 tablespoon Toor dal. Wash and soak both together in 3 c water for 30 mins. You will need 4 c water to make this millet Bisi Bele bath in Instant pot.
Cooking mode and timings- Pressure Cook Mode- High Pressure- 14 mins- Natural Pressure Release
In a regular pressure cooker, cook for 5 whistles and wait for stovetop pressure to release naturally.
Instant Pot Quinoa Bisi Bele Bath
White quinoa works best here. For every ¾ c quinoa, you will need 6 tablespoon toor dal. Combine both and wash them together. Soak this for 30 mins in 3 c warm water. You need 4 c water to make Quinoa Bisi Bele Bath in Instant Pot
Cooking Mode and Timings- Pressure cook mode- High pressure – 9 mins- Natural Pressure release.
I m yet to make quinoa Bisi Bele bath in a regular stovetop pressure cooker. I ll definitely try soon and update here.
Brown rice Bisi Bele Bath
Brown rice tends to be chewier and takes slightly longer to cook. So we will be cooking it for a longer time as well. For every ¾ c brown rice, you will need 8 tablespoon Toor dal. Combine the dal and brown rice and wash well. Add 4 cups of water to this and soak for 45 mins.
To cook brown rice Bisi bele bath in an Instant Pot, you will need 4 cups water for ¾ c brown rice and 10 tablespoon Toor dal.
Cooking Mode and Timings- Pressure Cook mode- High pressure- 18 mins- Natural Pressure release.
In a regular pressure cooker, cook on a medium flame for 6 whistles. Release pressure naturally.
Recipe Notes
- Bisi Bele Bath has to be runny and gooey. If you find that all the water has been absorbed after cooking, add 1 c hot boiling water to the cooked mixture, mix well and simmer. To simmer, turn on SAUTE mode on NORMAL for 5 mins and simmer for 5 mins. This applies to quinoa, millet, and brown rice Bisi bele bath. When you add extra water, do not forget to adjust the salt.
- Fried cashews, peanuts, and Kara Boondi are all great toppings for this toothsome dish.
- This dish tends to thicken as it cools down and overtime. It is also best enjoyed when served piping hot. So please cook and serve accordingly.
Prep work, leftovers and storage
I prefer soaking rice and dal for at least 30 mins. This way, cooking time reduces drastically and there is no fear of the dal being undercooked. While the rice and dal soaks, I prep the veggies and my tamarind.
Leftovers tastes amazing the next day. Try it to believe it! I store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. To heat up leftovers, allow them to come to room temperature and steam it in the Instant pot for 10 mins. Alternatively, you can also steam the leftovers in a stovetop pressure cooker for 6 to 8 mins.
Reheating leftovers in Instant Pot
To heat up leftover Bisi Bele Bath in the Instant Pot, add 2 c water to the inner pot and place a tall trivet in. Transfer the rice to a stainless steel pot and place this pot over the trivet. Ensure the sealing ring is fitted properly. Close the IP with the lid. Do not put the valve on.
Start a kitchen timer and set it to 10 mins. Now, press the STEAM mode on and allow it to steam for 10 mins. Once done, wait for the pin to drop before opening the lid.
Method
Soaking rice and toor dal
Wash the rice and dal together. Drain all the water used for soaking. Add 4 c water to the washed rice and dal. Soak for 30 mins. While this is soaking, prep the tamarind and cut the veggies.
Sauteeing veggies
Place the inner pot in the Instant Pot. Turn on Saute mode on Normal for 8 mins. Wait for the display to read HOT. When hot, add oil to the inner pot.
Add the cashews and fry till golden. Do not leave the cashews unattended while this happens. As soon as the cashews are done, drain and set them aside.
Now, add the shallots to the pot and fry till they turn soft and pink. Next, add all the veggies and saute for 1 to 2 mins. Tip in the tamarind extract along with salt and jaggery. Simmer this mixture for 2 to 3 mins.
Add the Bisi Bele bath powder, Kashmiri chili powder, and ground turmeric next and mix well. Simmer for 1 min. Drain all the water from the soaking rice and dal. Add this to the pot and add 4 cups water. Mix well.
Press cancel.
Pressure cooking
Ensure the sealing ring of the lid is fitted correctly. Now, close the IP with the lid and turn the valve to SEALING. Turn on RICE mode and allow the cooking cycle to complete.
When the cooking cycle is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.
Press cancel.
Adjusting consistency and simmering
If you find that the rice and dal have absorbed all the water while cooking and the Bisi Bele bath does not look gooey and runny, then, add 1 c hot water to this. Using a potato masher, mash this lightly and mix well.
Now, turn on SAUTE MODE on NORMAL for 5 mins. Simmer for 5 mins.
Garnishing
Heat a small pan with oil. Add mustard seeds and once they pop, add curry leaves. Wait for the curry leaves to crisp up. When done, add this along with the fried cashews to the rice and stir to combine.
Serve hot with any Raita and some potato curry.
Explore More Instant Pot Recipes
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for regular cooking updates and short videos. Find us on Pinterest for delicious content. Join our facebook group for millet recipes. Tried Instant Pot Bisi Bele Bath? We value your thoughts and comments! Leave a comment and tell us how it worked for you. Email us your questions to anusapraj@gmail.com if you need any guidance in making this.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Bisi Bele Bath
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
For soaking
- ½ c Raw rice
- 6 tbsp Toor dal Split pigeon pea lentils
- 3 c Water
Veggies and aromatics
- 1.5 tablespoon Sesame oil or any neutral flavored vegetable oil
- 10 whole Cashews
- 10 shallots peeled and chopped
- ½ c cubed carrots
- 12 french beans chopped into 1 inch long pieces
- ¼ c green peas fresh and frozen both work well.
- 7 tablespoon Tamarind extract Soak 10g tamarind in 8 tablespoon warm water for 20 mins. Squeeze the soaked tamarind in the warm water well, discard strings and fiber.
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery please do not use maple syrup/ sugar/agave as substitute.
- 2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 4 cups water
- 1 recipe soaked rice and toor dal, water drained fully
For Simmering
- 1 c Hot water
For tempering
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
Instructions
Soaking rice and toor dal
- Wash the rice and dal together. Drain all the water used for soaking.
- Add 4 c water to the washed rice and dal.
- Soak for 30 mins.
- While this is soaking, prep the tamarind and cut the veggies.
Sauteeing veggies
- Place the inner pot in the Instant Pot.
- Turn on Saute mode on Normal for 8 mins.
- Wait for the display to read HOT.
- When hot, add oil to the inner pot.
- Add the cashews and fry till golden.
- Do not leave the cashews unattended while this happens. Cashews burn quickly.
- As soon as the cashews are done, drain and set them aside.
- Now, add the shallots to the pot and fry till they turn soft and pink.
- Next, add all the veggies and saute for 1 to 2 mins.
- Tip in the tamarind extract along with salt and jaggery.
- Simmer this mixture for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add the Bisi Bele bath powder, Kashmiri chili powder and ground turmeri next and mix well.
- Simmer for 1 min. Drain all the water from the soaking rice and dal.
- Add this to the pot and add 4 cups water. Mix well.
- Press cancel.
Instant Pot Pressure cooking
- Ensure the sealing ring of the lid is fitted correctly.
- Now, close the IP with the lid and turn the valve to SEALING.
- Turn on RICE mode and allow the cooking cycle to complete.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.
- Press cancel.
Adjusting consistency and simmering
- If you find that the rice and dal have absorbed all the water while cooking and the Bisi Bele bath does not look gooey and runny, then, add 1 c hot water to this.
- Using a potato masher, mash this lightly and mix well.
- Now, turn on SAUTE MODE on NORMAL for 5 mins.
- Simmer the Bisi Bele bath for 5 mins.
Tempering and Garnishing
- Heat a small pan with oil.
- Add mustard seeds and once they pop, add curry leaves.
- Wait for the curry leaves to crisp up.
- When done, add this along with the fried cashews to the rice and stir to combine.
- Serve hot with any Raita and some potato curry.
Notes
- Bisi Bele Bath has to be runny and gooey. If you find that all the water has been absorbed after cooking, add 1 c hot boiling water to the cooked Bisi bele bath, mix well and simmer. To simmer, turn on SAUTE mode on NORMAL for 5 mins and simmer for 5 mins. This applies to quinoa, millet, and brown rice Bisi bele bath. When you add extra water, do not forget to adjust the salt.
- Fried cashews, peanuts, and Kara Boondi are all great toppings for this toothsome dish.
- Bisi Bele Bath tends to thicken as it cools down and overtime. It is also best enjoyed when served piping hot. So please cook and serve accordingly.
- Nutrition facts mentioned here are provided as a courtesy and not accurate. Please treat them as a rough guide.
- Instant pot cooking times will vary based on your geographical location.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
How to serve?
This has to be served piping hot. It is a very common dish served in many small hole-in-the-wall food joints in Bangalore. They top it with Kara Boondi and serve it with mixed vegetable raita.
Leave a Reply