Bise Bela Huli Anna is a Karnataka speciality and it's my mom's sunday favorite. It is a rice dish cooked along with Toor dal and lots of vegetables. 'Bise' means hot, 'Bele' means ' toor dal, 'huli' means tamarind and 'anna' is rice.
Though there are many similarities between the food of Karnataka and its southern neighbors, the typical Mysore cuisine is well known for its own distinctive textural forms and flavor-the dishes complementing and balancing each other. As one goes north within the state, the food begins to resemble that of Maharashtra. The cuisine of coastal Karnataka has similarities with the food of Kerala. There is, in fact, a large amount of correspondence in the food of the four southern states of Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. But there are subtle distinctions and recognizable differences in flavor. The Karnatka food on the whole is less hot than that of Andhra, and the Kannada housewife uses more of lentils and coconuts than her Tamil sister.
My weekend preparation ( continuing the tradition of my mom ) is Bise Bele Huli anna with the pearl onions I bought few days back.
My entry of a satisfying meal for Jihva : Onions at Radhi's Kitchen
1 cup - Rice
1 cup - Toor dal ( Kandhi papu)
10-12 - Pearl onions or 1 medium sized onion
2 cups - cut vegetables ( carrots, beans, cauliflower, brinjal etc.)
1 - Drumstick ( fresh or frozen )
Lemon size - Tamarind
2 cups - Water
1 tsp - Turmeric
Few Curry leaves
2 tsps - ghee (optional )
1- 1 1/2 tsp - Salt or to taste
For Tempering ( poppu/tadka)
1 tsp Mustard seeds (avalu/rai)
1/2 tsp Channa dal ( sanaga pappu)
2 tsps roasted peanuts (optional)
2 tbsp - oil
For Masala Paste
2 tsps Coriander seeds ( dhania)
2 tsps Channa dal ( sanaga pappu)
1 tsp black pepper ( miriyalu, kali mirch)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds ( menthulu, Methi)
1 inch cinnamon stick ( Dal chinni )
2-3 cardamom ( Elachi)
2-3 Cloves ( lavagam, laung)
4 Red Chillies
1/4 cup fresh coconut
1 tsp oil
Cook rice and dal together with enough water.
For masala paste, fry everything , except coconut in oil until u smell the aroma of the spices. Grind everything together with coconut into a smooth paste.
Peel and cut pearl onions in to half or if you are using onions cut them into thin strips. Soak tamarind in water. Do the tempering. After the Mustard seeds splutters, add curry leaves, and onions. Fry them a bit.
Now add the vegetables, drumstick pieces and let them cook for a while. Now squeeze the tamarind in the water and add that juice into the vegetables. Add turmeric and salt. Let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes away. Now, add the masala paste and let it boil little more, for about 2-3 mins.
Add the cooked rice and dal into it and stir it very well breaking any lumps if any. If the consistency is too thick add little water into it. The consistency has to be semi-solid. You can add 2 tsps of ghee . Combine well.
Adjust the level of spiciness according to your taste buds. Also, the sourness of tamarind may vary from mine, so adjust that too accordingly. You can also try out with different vegetables of your choice.
Serve it hot with papad. You can top it with more ghee like a traditional hostess in Karnataka would do as a signal to begin eating ;)
Another speciality of Karnataka is Vangibaath which is made with Brinjals ( Eggplants) which I'll posting very soon.
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