Rice and Lentil Casserole with Onions

Name: Rice and Lentil Casserole with Onions (Bisi Bele Bhaat)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate; 3 slices firm white bread, cut into ½-inch cubes and toasted (see box); or 2 cups store-bought unflavored salad croutons; 1 teaspoon Punjabi or Maharashtrian garam masala; 1 tablespoon skinned split black lentils (cream-colored in this form, urad dal), picked over for stones; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 4 to 6 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds); 1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice; ¼ cup oily or unoily skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal), picked over for stones; 1 cup finely chopped red onion; 2 teaspoons Sambhar masala; 2 to 3 tablespoons Ghee or butter (optional); 3 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil

Bisi Bele Bhaat

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

A classic rice casserole from southeastern India, this is pure comfort food. Serve it with Buttery Pigeon Peas with Turmeric, yogurt, spicy Nimboo ka achar, and a good supply of freshly fried pappadums—those airily crisp lentil wafers.

Ingredients

Asia
India
Main course
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method