Bisibele Bath and Potato Fry

Jan 17th 2010

This is not just comfort food, this is bliss. This brings to you Amma's warmth, endless Sunday afternoons watching TV and a kind of innate contentment that only comes from this kind of a food overload :) Straight from amma to me and hopefully will make its way to your kitchen and to your hearts!

Be forewarned, this is a little bit time consuming but so totally worth it. Some of the powders can be made in excess to be used again.

Ingredients (Bisibele bath)

• Onions (small and big)
• peas, carrots, brinjal all chopped
• garlic,cinnamon, cloves, pepper corn
• tamarind
• red chillies, coriander seeds (dhaniya), bengal gram (chana dhal)
• asafoetida
• copra or rice coconut (can use scraped coconut too)
• thoor dhal
• Rice
• oil, ghee

Method de Preparation

1.  Cook 1 cup rice : 1/2 cup thoor dhal with salt, turmeric, chopped vegetables (except brinjal) and 1 tbsp ghee in the pressure cooker adding 1:3 water. Cook well and allow 4-5 whistles.
2. Dry roast bengal gram (less), dhaniya (lots) and red chillies. Add curry leaves in the end. Keep aside and powder when cooled.
3. Take a little bit of oil and add some pepper corn, cinnamon sticks, cloves. Allow to splutter and then add the coconut. Roast till golden brown. Keep aside and powder when cooled.
4. Soak tamarind and extract juice. 
5. Take 2-3 pods of garlic + 1 big onion. Grind into a single mixture and keep aside.
6. Take sufficient amount of oil, add mustard and allow to splutter. Then add the ground onion+garlic mixture. When the raw smell goes add the small onions and fry till golden brown. Add brinjal at this stage and fry.
7. When all are well cooked and slightly roasted, add the tamarind extracted juice and allow to boil well and condense.
8. Add the cooked rice and vegetable mix at this stage.
9. Add the first powder mix (step 2) and then the one in step 3. Mix well, allow everything to cook together.
10. Remove and serve immediately. Garnish with some ghee to enhance flavor and taste.

Ingredients (Potato Fry)

• Potatoes
• oil
• mustard, urad and chana dhal
• salt, turmeric, sambar and curry powder
• curry leaves

Method de Preparaiton

1. Lightly cook potatoes in pressure cooker. Peel and keep aside.
2. Take oil in a pan, add mustard and when splutters and urad and chana dhal. When they brown add the peeled potatoes cut in big sizes.
3. Add salt and turmeric and roast on low flame.
4. When done halfway add the other powders and some more oil and then roast well.
5. Turn off gas when you see the potatoes roated golden brown.
6. Garnish with curry leaves and serve immediately.