This is one of my favorite dishes from Nirvana, a local vegetarian Indian restaurant that closed many years ago. At Nirvana, they called it bisi bele huli ana. After consulting a few online recipes, we tried this recipe: https://hebbarskitchen.com/bisi-bele-bath-recipe-bisibelabath-rice/
Our modifications: first, based on tips from https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/bisi-bele-bath/, as a shortcut we used MTR brand bisibele bhath [sic] masala instead of making our own masala. Second, we used 2 tsp tamarind concentrate (a dark brown viscous liquid), 2 tsp tamarind powder, and 1 tsp Filipino tamarind soup (Mama Sita sinigang sa sampalok) in lieu of 1/2 cup soaking liquid from dried tamarind pods. Third, we learned from https://eatingexpired.com/what-are-two-whistles-instant-pot/ that two whistles equals approximately 6 mins at high pressure on the stovetop or instant pot.
Finally, we found the recipe slightly frustrating in that the final result seemed less viscous than expected – it was a little watery even when we reduced the final portion of water to 1.5 cups (instead of 2 cups), which also made the spices more concentrated than intended. At the end of cooking, we folded in about 2 cups fresh baby spinach to thicken. We also balanced out the flavors with 1/2 tsp white sugar and juice in from half a lemon. For the hot oil topping, we doubled the amount of whole cashews (for a total of 1/4 cup cashews), used 1 Tbsp ghee, and added 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder for color. (June 2023)
Cooking Adventures 