BISIBELEBATH WITH OATS

BISIBELEBATH WITH OATS

I know I have been posting some weird combinations lately. Some of you may even think that I can have gone soft in the head after reading this heading, but trust me on this gals, this besibelebath with oatmeal was absolutely delicious. It didn’t taste anything like oatmeal at all. The oats blended very well with the dhal and this dish was glutinous like the original version with rice, but I didn’t add any ghee. :) I prepared this dish in 10 minutes since I had some cooked dhal already sitting in the fridge. I microwaved the veggies to reduce the cooking time. Lazy me has used store-brought bisibelebath powder here. Many of you will be having your own versions of bisibelebath, you can give it a try by substituting oatmeal with rice.

INGREDIENTS:
Oats, 1 cup.
Toor dhal, 1 cup.
Small onions, 1 cup.
Tomatoes, 2.
Vegetables like carrots, green beans, peas, drumstick, cabbage coming around 2 cups when diced.
Turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon.
Chili powder, 1 teaspoon.
Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons.
Bisibelebath powder, 2 teaspoons.
Thick tamarind juice, 2-3 tablespoons.
Asafetida, ¼ teaspoon.
Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoons.
Curry leaves and cilantro 2-3 sprigs.
Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Wash the toor dhal well, add the turmeric powder, and cook it for up to 3 whistles in the pressure cooker until the dhal is well mashed. Meanwhile dice the other vegetables like carrots greens beans etc. and cook them in the microwave for 5 minutes or until they are fully cooked. Peel the small onions, and dice the tomatoes. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil turns hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the curry leaves and small onions and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are caramelized. Now add the tomatoes and keep sautéing until everything is well blended. Pour 3 cups of water and add the chili powder, coriander powder, bisibelebath powder, and tamarind juice and let it boil for 5 minutes under medium flame. Now add salt as per taste and add the cooked dhal along with the asafetida and the microwaved veggies and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Finally add the oats, mix everything well, and cook for a few more minutes until the required consistency is reached. This dish should be a little watery, it tends to thicken up as time goes by. Garnish with chopped cilantro and add some ghee if needed. Serve hot with raita or any spicy dish. They can be had by themselves too.