You know you are blessed when you have true friends around. Friends who not just love or care for you but also know you in and out and understand what you crave for. Farrukh Aziz Ansari aka Farrukh Shadab , a beautiful soul and an amazingly talented blogger who in just a few years of her career gained all the name and fame one can aspire for. Her blog CubesnJuliennes need no introduction. I can proudly say that i am probably the biggest admirer of Frarukh specially when it comes to food styling and photography. My mentor in this profession, Farrukh has always been my guiding star and encourages me to do better and better. Like i always say, Farrukh is an institution, one should know how to get the best out of her.
Recently in a conversation with her, we were discussing our favorite topic that is photography. That was when i showed my interest in her work that she did for the very famous CHEF SHAZIA KHAN from Master Chef Season-2. It was exact a year back when Farrukh shared that she has been approached by Shazia and she’ll be doing food styling and photography for her upcoming cookery book. With a such a great collaboration, the book was surely a big hit and one of the best seller as well. Though i never got a chance to own this book named ” What’s On The Menu” but i always wanted to have one.
Like i said true friends read your mind well, my door bell rings and i get a parcel from Farrukh where she had sent plenty of love and good wishes in the form of “the” book. Now isn’t that amazing…what better can a person like me ask for. It was such an amazing feeling to receive a surprise gift from the person whom you adore and admire the most. I feel so elated and trust me the book is even more beautiful and gorgeous than i had thought of. Like i said, Farrukh is an ace photographer, the book is her reflection, the photographs speaks her name everywhere. I am really falling short of words now….. it’s just Superlative!
This post is a return gift to my dear friend who knows how to pamper me. The first recipe i tried from it was Bisi Bele Bhath – It is a rice-based dish with origins in the state of Karnataka, India. Bisi bele bhaath translates to ‘hot lentil rice’ in the Kannada language. Chef Shazia has kept the recipe simple yet crisp. The addition of home made spice powder just adds rustic flavors to the dish and makes it super aromatic. I followed Shazia’s recipe to the T and didn’t wanted to add any special touch from my end as it was my first attempt and i was unaware of the taste as well. I would strongly recommend everyone who loves reading books and cherish them forever, pls go and grab and copy of it and try all the recipes as they are simply awesome!
Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 45 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup Pigeon Lentil/ Arhar Dal
- 1.5 cup rice
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 4-5 cup water
- 1/2 cup Diced Carrot
- 1/2 cup Chopped Beans
- 1 cup Diced Knol Khol/ Turnip
- 3/4 cup Fresh green peas
- 70 gms tamarind soaked in 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup Dry Coconut/ Khopra grated and dry roasted
- 1.5 tsp jaggery grated
- 1-2 tsp salt as needed
- Potato Wafers to serve
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 3/4 cup Dry red chilies
- 2-3 Cradamom
- 8 Cloves
- 2 sticks cinnamon 1"inch each
- 1/2 cup Coriander Seeds
- 5 Kopak Buds / Marathi Moggu i didn't use it so it's optional
- 2 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 3-4 Dry red chilies
- 1/2 tsp Asafoetida / Hing
- 10-15 curry leaves
- 10-15 Cashews
Ingredients
Spice Powder :
Tempering :
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- Wash and rinse dal and rice separately and keep aside.
- Boil water in a deep pot and add dal and cook till half done.
- Now add rice and mix to cook till dal and rice both are soft and nicely cooked.
- Meanwhile heat a pan and dry roast all the ingredients given under 'spice powder'.
- Set aside to cool and then grind to make a fine powder. Collect and keep aside.
- Collect the tamarind pulp and discard the seeds and impurities.
- Cook the chopped vegetables till tender and keep aside.
- Now heat a thick bottomed pan or wok and pour in the tamarind pulp along with roasted coconut, spice powder and jaggery and bring it to boil.
- Now transfer the tamarind mix to the cooked rice and dal or vice versa and mix such that everything incorporates well,
- Add little water if needed, season with salt and cook for another 10-12 mins. in low flame.
- To prepare the tempering, heat oil and ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry red chilies and wait till they crackle.
- Now add cashews and fry till golden in color.
- Pour the tempering on th Bisi Bele Bhath and cover the lid such that flavors infuse well.
- Serve hot with raita and some crispy potato wafers.
If you like this recipe then try making at home and share your feedback and views with me in comments below.
Love : Shaheen
2 comments
I love this anytime.. delicious.
This was my first attempt and it turned out to be delicious.. i’m gonna make it now more frequent 🙂