I thought I would revisit some of my favourite recipes, which I make weekly and update our personal preferences. This is one dish I love to eat in the cooler months (which in Sintra is the most of the year).

Once I start eating a warm bowl of Bisi-Bele Bāth, a feeling of being present warms and soothes the system, satisfying all six tastes.

This dish nourishes the body and suits all constitutions. It is recommended to consume in the colder months. During warmer months, it will be heavier for the body. People with vata disorder or digestion problems should not consume it very often.

bisi-bele bāth

preparation time 1 hour

serves 3 – 4 

ingredients

½ cup/100g toor dal

6 cups/1½ litres water

1 medium/80g carrot

1 medium/110g potato

1 cup/80g cabbage/green beans

½ cup/100g white basmati rice

10 curry leaves

1 heaped Tbsp/15g jaggery/brown sugar

1 heaped tsp fine rock salt

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp ghee

¼ cup/30g frozen green peas

¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped

sambar-coconut paste

¼ cup/20g dried unsweetened coconut

1 heaped Tbsp/18g sambar powder (moderately spiced)

1½ cups/375ml water – divided

voggarane

2 tsp ghee

¼ heaped tsp black mustard seeds

⅛ heaped tsp asafoetida powder

⅛ heaped tsp turmeric powder

preparation

  1. Cut the vegetables into small, uniform pieces. Measure out remaining ingredients – set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, wash the dal until the water runs clear, drain, and add water. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam that accumulates on top, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the vegetables and reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Simmer rapidly until the dal starts to soften, approximately 15 minutes, depending on the type of dal.
  4. Rinse the rice and add it to the dal, along with the curry leaves. Rapidly simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is sufficiently cooked. You may need to add more water.

prepare the sambar-coconut paste

  1. In an upright blender, place the coconut, sambar powder and pour in 1 cup water  – blend on high for 1 minute.
  2. Pour the dal into the blender, adding ½ cups water to swish the blender clean. Simmer for 5 minutes, adding more water if needed.
  3. Turn off the heat, and add jaggery, tamarind, salt, ghee and green peas.  Stir, cover and allow to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The bisi-bele bath will thicken as it sits.

prepare the voggarane

  1. Add ghee and mustard seeds in a small pan over medium heat. When the seeds turn grey and pop, add the asafoetida and turmeric, swishing the pan to allow the spices to fry evenly. Add to the bisi-bele bath.
  2. Add coriander, taste, adding more salt, sambar powder, sweetener or tamarind.

To serve, spoon into bowls with a scoop of yoghurt and a drizzling of melted ghee.