Quickest bisi bele bath | Pressure cooker bisi bele bath | Cracked wheat bisi bele bath

This is a diabetic friendly bisi bele bath as it is made with cracked wheat (godhi nucchu or daliya) instead of the rice. It's also one of the quickest one pot meal. It's nutritious, healthy and a complete meal by itself.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves:3-4 

Ingredients:
Broken wheat - 1 cup
Pigeon pea dal / Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (Carrot, beans, green peas, potatoes, chow-chow, beets), refer notes
Surti lilwa/avrekalu : 1/4 cup
Tamarind - small lime/lemon sized
Jaggery - According to taste, optional
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida: 1 big pinch
Salt - According to taste
Homemade bisi bele bath powder: About 1/4th cup
Oil: 2 tsp

Ingredients for tempering (Tadka):
Peanuts - 1 table spoon
Cashew Nuts - 4-6
Ghee - 2 table spoons
Red Chilly - 1, broken
Curry Leaves :4-6 nos, torn
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Bell peppers/capsicum - 1 finely chopped (Optional)

Method:

Wash the broken wheat and toor dal together in running water. Drain the water from the mixture and let it soak for about 10 mins.

Meantime soak the tamarind in the hot/warm water. We need the extract of the tamarind. (PS: The other item in the photo is the jaggery syrup or brown sugar syrup).

(PS: 1. Soaked Tamarind, 
        2. Jaggery syrup
        3. Bisi bele bath powder
        4. Turmeric
        5. Salt
        6. Asafoetida)

Heat oil in the pressure cooker. When oil is hot, add the broken wheat and toor dal. Saute the broken wheat and dal for couple of minutes. 

To that add the chopped vegetables, surti lilwa, and mix well.

Add about 5 cups of water to the pressure cooker. 

Add the salt, tamarind extract, jaggery, asafoetida, turmeric powder and the bisi bele bath powder to the cooker. Mix well. 

Close the pressure cooker lid and cook the mixture on a  medium-high heat for 4 whistles. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release. It'll take a minimum of 15 mins for the pressure to release. 

Meantime prepare the seasoning. Heat ghee (clarified butter) on a small pan/wok. When ghee is hot, add the mustard seeds, followed by peanuts. Saute the peanuts on a low-medium heat. When peanuts turn golden brown, add the curry leaves, asafoetida and the bell peppers. Saute the bell peppers till they turn soft yet crunchy. 

Release the pressure from the cooker and pour the seasoning over the cooked bisi bele bath. Mix well and serve. (Refer notes)

Notes:

• I add about a tbsp of finely chopped beets (beetroot) to get a rich color to the bisi bele bath.
• If the cooked mixture is too hard, add a cup of boiling water, mix well and cook again for a couple of minutes.
• I use the ratio 1 cup of broken wheat + lentils to 3 cups of water. Half cup on the higher side wont hurt.
• If you are using the Instant pot, first saute as usual in saute mode. Then turn it on in manual mode (sealing postion ON) for 11 mins. Tada!

Daliya Khichdi/Broken Wheat Khichdi: Beginner series

I'm happy that in a short time I have made like minded friends here. We go for short walks, shop together & also chat over phone. Not only that, we have started sharing recipes too. One such recipe, I learnt from a friend is this daliya khichdi. Our family liked it so much that, in a week I made it twice. The second time, I did not forget to take the pictures to share it with you all.

A comforting khichdi that is fast to cook, non-spicy, and also rich in fiber, & protein. 

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Daliya/Broken wheat/Godi nucchu: 1.3 cups

Yellow moong dal/Split & skinned gram dal: 1/2 cup

Mixed vegetables: 2 cups (I used potatoes, carrots, peas, corn & beans)

Red onion: 1 medium sized, cubed

Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tbsp

Oil:1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: a pinch
Turmeric: a big pinch

Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, chopped

Water: 3.5 cups

Salt: According to taste

Special utensils:

Pressure cooker

Method:

• Wash the broken wheat & moong dal together. Drain the water & keep it aside.
• Heat the ghee & oil in a pressure cooker. When the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, add curry leaves. When leaves wilt, add asafoetida.
• Follow it by mixed vegetables (except onion). Saute the vegetables in ghee for a minute.
• Add the turmeric, broken wheat & dal mixture to the cooker & saute for 2-3 mins on medium heat. The ghee should coat well on the broken wheat, vegetables & dal. 

• Add the water, salt, red onion to the cooker & let the water boil on a med-high heat.
• When water starts boiling, close the lid of the pressure cooker. Let it cook on med-high heat.
• Remove the cooker from the heat after 3 whistles. Let the cooker sit for 5-7 mins or until the pressure is released completely.

• Mix the khichdi well & serve it with a side dish of your choice. 

Notes:

• We love to eat this khichdi with plain yogurt, boondi raita, chutney or a vegetable kurma/saagu. Relish it with whatever you like.
• My friend says, do not try adding green chillies or black pepper. The dish tastes better without any heat!
• Broken wheat can be easily found in any Indian grocery stores.
• Broken wheat to water ratio is 1: 2.5 cups.

Lapsi: A Gujarati Delicacy (Broken wheat pudding)

First of all " happy bhimana amavasye/bheemeshwara vrata to all Kannadigas". Yes, this year Bheemeshwara vrata falls on 9th August.

I always feel that there is a similarity between the Gujarati & the South Canara vegetarian food. Both are sweet, sour & spicy (like the menaskai, sambar, rasam etc). May be that could be one of the reasons why our family loves Gujarati food. The other reason being, the limited usage of garlic & onion in Gujarati Jain  food.

Last year during our parents & in-laws visit, we took them to one of the Gujarati restaurants here. They enjoyed the meal thoroughly & most importantly they were all tasting the Gujarati meal for the first time. My mom being off to garlic & onion also enjoyed eating their paneer burji, khichdi, phulkas, chaas & what not! My mom-in-law was fascinated by a dessert served there & wanted to know how they prepared it. We had no clue about it & when asked about the same, we were told it is an authentic Gujarati dish made using broken wheat.

Later this year, when I visited one of my Gujarati friend's house warming ceremony, they served me the same sweet dish & she gave me the recipe too. This is what she said " ek katori mein dalia le lo, use thode ghee mein fry karlo. Baad mein dhai cup paani dhaal ke 2 seeti karo. Cooker ka pressure jaane ke baad, lid nikalke, thoda shakkar aur ghee dhaal ke mix karlo. Hogaya lapsi thayyar" (The English translation of the same is given below)

Ingredients:
Cracked wheat/broken wheat/godi rave/dalia: 1 cup (1 cup holds 100ml water)
Clarified butter/ghee: 3 tbsp
Sugar: 3/4 to 1 cup (adjust according to your family needs)
Powdered green cardamom: a pinch
Water: 2.5 cups


Method:

• Add 2 tbsp clarified butter/ghee & broken wheat to a pressure cooker. Saute the broken wheat until it leaves a nice aroma & it changes it color (the broken wheat will go a shade or two darker). 
• Add the water to the sautéed broken wheat, close the pressure cooker lid & cook the broken wheat for 2 whistles. Turn off the flame. 
• When the pressure goes, open the cooker lid(cooked broken wheat needs to be hot), add the sugar, cardamom powder, remaining ghee & mix well. Close the lid & let the mixture sit for 10mins. 
• Lapsi is ready to be served.

Notes:

• After adding the sugar to the cooked broken wheat, the mixture will ooze out some water. But, there is no need to worry. During the resting time, it will absorb the water. 
• The same can be prepared without using the pressure cooker too. Repeat the same procedure on a large non stick pan(Keep stirring once a while to avoid sticking of the broken wheat to the pan).