Hello Hello!
Yes I am very much alive and kicking. Given that we had a huge life event take place just a few months ago, I had to prioritize my to-do list and devote all my time to the more pressing demands of our new life. Now that I have finally started feeling less out of my depth, I felt it was time to revive my blog out of the self-induced coma that it was in.
I think that it is rather premature for me to talk about the transition of moving back to India from abroad. I am aware that many NRIs (Non Resident Indians for the uninitiated) follow my posts and will be curious to know about my opinions and experiences. I feel like my perspective will have more credibility after at least a year of living in India. I will definitely talk about it when the time comes and you can count on me to be sincere and unfiltered 😊
That said, I'm peppering this post with some images taken post-relocation. Also, you can follow me on Instagram (@meinblogland) for snippets of our daily life in India.
For most foreigners, Indian food is little more than mango lassi, samosa, curry, dal, naan, biryani and chai. It seems amusing to those of us who are privy to the country's mind-boggling culinary offerings. India is home to over 1.4 billion people, 120 languages, 9 major faiths, 28 states and 8 union territories each containing their own unique landscape, climate, customs and traditions. There is unimaginable culinary diversity and cooking styles throughout the subcontinent along with heavy influences from thousands of years of immigration, trade and conquest.
I'm sure there are enough regional specialities to keep me occupied for the rest of my blogging lifespan but for my first post after relocation, it seems fitting that I pick a dish from my beloved native state KARNATAKA.
Bisi bele bhath (Kannada: ಬಿಸಿ ಬೇಳೆ à²ಾತು) or bisi bele huliyanna (ಬಿಸಿಬೇಳೆಹುಳಿಯನ್ನ) literally translates to "hot lentil boiled rice". It is a spicy, rice-based dish that as I mentioned above, originated in the state of Karnataka, in South India. It is said to have first appeared in the Mysore Palace and it took 100 years for the dish to come out from the place and another 200 years to spread across the state of Karnataka.
The traditional preparation of this dish is quite elaborate and involves the use of spicy masala, toor dal, rice, ghee and vegetables. The masala is a mixture of coriander seeds, chana dal, urad dal, cumin, methi, sesame, poppy seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, dried red chilli, curry leaves, dry coconut, turmeric and hing among others. It is either freshly prepared in households or can be purchased off the shelf at Indian grocery stores. The unique taste comes from a delightful balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour. Good bisibele bhath will have the tantalizing aroma of ghee and the unmistakable taste of aromatic spices, red chillies, tamarind and jaggery. Some versions of the dish are prepared with up to thirty ingredients!
Bisibele bhath is served hot and commonly eaten with savoury crunchy accompaniments like boondi, papad, or potato chips with a salad or raita on the side. This dish is commonly found in restaurants that serve Udupi cuisine.
Having eaten this dish since childhood as a comfort food staple, I can tell you that the taste of bisibele bhath is largely dependent on the masala blend that is used. Homemade is obviously the best (and the fresher the better) but somehow I've never been motivated to make it myself. My mom and MIL make their own masala so when they have it, I get some for myself but most of the time, I use the bisibele bhath masala from a small family-run business in Bengaluru called ooTa tinDi. I store it in a glass bottle in the freezer so it stays fresh for quite long. I've not liked any of the reputed commercial brands available in the supermarket so far so it looks like I am sticking with this masala for the long haul.
This is what a bisibele bhath lunch looks like in my household. We HAVE to have masala chips and raita as accompaniments and we love finishing off the meal with some cooling curd rice (mosranna).
My version of bisibele bhath is a tad unconventional and I will tell you why,
1. I use millets instead of short-grain white rice because millets are more nutritious, easier to digest and give the bisibele bhath a porridge-like creamy consistency which I love. While on the subject of the grain, know that beaten rice (avalakki or poha) can be used to make bisibele bhath instead of rice and it works quite well.
2. I use moong dal instead of toor dal because moong dal cooks faster, turns mushy, is mild in taste and lighter on the stomach. The combination of millets & moong dal means I can have a generous helping or two of bisibele bhath without feeling like I need to do lie down for a few hours after!
3. I use my Instant Pot to make the bisibele bhath. This isn't a big deal really because it is just pressure cooking done with a modern gadget. Feel free to use your trusty traditional pressure cooker. I have made a note at the end of the method section to let you know how to go about it.
4. My family has very specific taste preferences for bisibele bhath so my version reflects that. We also prefer bisibele bhath to be a bit more on the runny side. Please refer the "Notes" section at the bottom for additional information.
Ok folks, mom life beckons so I need to sign off now. Please try this recipe because I have tried and tested it umpteen times to get it the way my family loves it (even my somewhat fussy twins eat it without complaint). I hope it will become a family-favourite in your household too.
More later...