Community Cookbook: Fulgurances Laundromat’s Bisi Bele Bath

Greenpoint’s Fulgurances Laundromat (132 Franklin St.), known for its decadent tasting menus and a rotating repertoire of chefs from all over the world, welcomed its newest resident, Chef Rasika Venteska, on November 19.

For this week’s addition to the Community Cookbook, Chef Venteska has shared her recipe for Bisi Bele Bath, a South Indian dish with rice, lentils and vegetables that originates in the Indian state of Karnataka, and is very popular in Tamil households, too. 

“It was a staple growing up in Chennai with my grandma and some of the best lunches she would make would consist of hot bisi bele bath with spicy potato roast and raita,” the chef told Greenpointers.

“Bisi bele bath reminds me of a South Indian style spiced risotto almost, but instead of the rice being al dente, it’s more of a porridge consistency, but is rich in flavor from the freshly ground spice mix, lentils and ghee. This is a whole meal in itself and is fully vegetarian,” Chef Venteska said.

Learn how to make Chef Rasika Venteska’s Bisi Bele Bath below and find last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.

Chef Rasika Venteska’s Bisi Bele Bath

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the Bisi Bele Bath Spice Mix:

28 grams (about 3 tablespoons) of coriander seeds 

15 round dry red chillies

44 grams (4 tablespoons) of fenugreek seeds

48 grams (about 1/3 cup) of split chickpea lentils

35 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of whole black peppercorn 

To Cook:

1.5 cups of short grain white parboiled raw rice (examples: ponni and jasmine rice)

1 cup of pigeon pea toor dal 

90 grams (about 3/4 cup) of carrots, medium diced

20 red pearl onions, peeled

70 grams (a little less than 1/2 cup) of white daikon radish, medium diced

70 grams (a little less than 1/2 cup) of green beans, medium diced

70 grams (a little less than 1/2 cup) of russet potatoes, peeled and medium diced

50 grams (about 1/3 cup) of fresh green peas

100 grams (3/4 cup) of tamarind 

50 grams (1/3 cup) of jaggery, grated 

100 grams (about 1/2 cup) of ghee 

2 ounces of mustard seeds 

A pinch of asafoetida 

3 sprigs of curry leaves 

30 grams (1/4 cup) of cashews, broken

2 round dry red chillies 

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons of turmeric powder 

2 tablespoons of gingelly oil (South Indian sesame oil) 

Directions

1. Rinse the rice at least 2-3 times in running water, then soak rice for 20 minutes.
2. In a stockpot, cook the rinsed rice with 4.5 cups of water on medium heat. Once the rice comes to a simmer, switch the heat to low and keep covered. (The rice needs to be cooked really well and should be mashy.)
3. Separately, wash and rinse the pigeon peas toor dal in running water at least 2-3 times, and soak for 15 minutes. 
4. Cook the pigeon peas in a saucepan with 2 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of the turmeric powder until it’s fully cooked and mashy. (You can add more hot water if it looks like its drying out.)
5. Separately, soak the tamarind pulp in 1 cup of warm water for the tamarind extract.
6. While the rice and/or pigeon peas are cooking, mix together all ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Once you have both your rice and pigeon peas cooked (and the spice mix ready), the final cooking of the bisi bele bath can be done.
7. In a wide stock pot, on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of gingelly oil and 60 grams (a bit over 1/4 cup) of ghee. 
8. Once the oil is almost smoking, add the mustard seeds and make sure they pop (something they do when hot). 
9. Immediately after this, add the dry red chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida, and stir making sure it doesn’t burn. 
10. Once everything is fried, add the pearl onions and sauté.
11. Once the pearl onions are golden brown, add the carrots and potatoes and sauté. 
12. After 5 minutes, add the green beans, daikon and green peas. Continue to sauté.
13. Add salt to season the vegetables, 3 teaspoons of the spice mix and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and sauté.
14. Once the vegetables are tender, add the cooked rice and lentils and stir. (Add 1/2 cup of water to break down the mixture if it’s too thick.)
15. Once incorporated, squeeze the tamarind pulp in the water and strain this extract into the bisi bele bath. Add 3 more teaspoons of the spice mix and mix well.
16. Let the bisi bele bath simmer, add more salt at this stage to season to your liking.
17. Add the jaggery to balance out the dish with some sweetness. 
18. In a separate pan over medium heat, heat up the rest of the ghee and toast the cashews until golden brown.
19. Add the hot ghee and cashews to the bisi bele bath and mix well. (The consistency should resemble something in between a porridge and a risotto. It shouldn’t be too loose nor should it be too thick.)
20. Serve hot in a bowl, with fried curry leaves (optional). The dish can be had on its own or with a side of fry potato curry, raita, chips and even marinated and roasted meat.