L08 · Lunch · Karnataka
Bisi Bele Bath with Extra Dal
Karnataka's "hot lentil rice": toor dal, rice and vegetables cooked together with tamarind and a freshly roasted spice powder.
- Region
- Karnataka
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Time, as written
- Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min
- Serves
- 3 (about 400 g each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Status
- Adaptation — more dal and less rice than the usual 1:1
- Good for
- One-pot lunch, tiffin
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bisi bele bath (complete one-pot meal) | 365 | 16 g | 56 g | 7 g | 3 g | 11 g | 6 g | 4.5 g |
| With 150 g cucumber raita | 465 | 22 g | 65 g | 12 g | 6 g | 12 g | 13 g | 4.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source. Includes 5 g jaggery for 3 servings. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Tempering
Raita
Method
Pressure-cook dal and rice together with turmeric and 900 ml water for 4 whistles, until very soft.
Cook the vegetables in 300 ml tamarind water with salt and jaggery for 10 minutes until tender.
Add the bisi bele powder to the vegetables and simmer 3 minutes.
Add the mashed dal-rice. Mix well and simmer 5 minutes, adding hot water so it is soft and pourable; it thickens as it stands.
Heat ghee; fry peanuts until golden, then add mustard, curry leaves and hing. Pour over.
Serve hot with cucumber raita.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Toor dal supplies 9.5 g per serving, rice 2 g, peas and vegetables 2 g, peanuts 1.5 g.
- Boost
- The raita adds 5.5 g; using hung curd for the raita adds about 4 g more per serving.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Tamil Nadu sambar sadam — use sambar powder and no jaggery.
- Substitution
- Foxtail or little millet in place of rice.
- Storage
- 2 days refrigerated; loosen with hot water when reheating.
- Food safety
- Cool within 1 hour; reheat until steaming throughout.
- Meal prep
- Good.
Allergens
Milk (ghee, raita), peanuts
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · Meal-prep friendly
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.