South Indian Bhat Recipe

An easy South Indian Bhat using a homemade spice blend and a medley of veggies.

Rice is an integral part of an Indian meal and we have an amazing variety. One of them is this delicious masala bhat. 

Use leftover rice to make this South Indian Rice. A simple one-pot dish that gets done in minutes. Pack it for your kid's lunch box and you will be thrilled to see the box clean. Use any veggies you have at hand to add oomph to the rice. 

Did I say veggies?

It will taste great with tofu/paneer, shrimp, chicken and even scramble egg in the rice.

This Bhaat is finger-licking delicious but different from the Maharashtrian Masale bhat. There are many more rice recipes but my favourites are MavinKayi Chitranna Recipe and Jeera Rice Recipe. Try one of them!

Contents:

• This South Indian Bhat Recipe and me
• Why MSK South Indian Bhat recipe
• Let's get started
• For Your Questions
• Some Quick Rice Recipe
• Recipe card
• Pin for later

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Why MSK South Indian Bhat recipe:

Make this recipe as it is

• Easy
• Delicious
• Vegan
• Uses pantry ingredients
• Makes leftovers in a yum meal

Let's get started:

These are the ingredients you will need. For quantities please check the recipe card.

Ingredients:

For the spice blend:

• Split Bengal gram lentil
• Black gram dal lentil
• Coriander seeds
• Dry coconut
• Red chillies
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Fenugreek seeds
• Asafoetida
• Marati moggu or Kapok Buds
• Oil

For the rice (the traditional way):

• Cooked rice
• The spice blend
• Veggies of your choice
• Oil
• Mustard
• Salt

For the twist in the rice (the non-traditional way):

• Cooked rice
• The spice blend
• Veggies of your choice
• Oil
• Mustard
• Tumeric
• Salt
• Cashew nuts
• Ginger-garlic paste
• Onion
• Tomatoes

Method:

You can scale up the quantity of spice blend and store it. The quantities I have indicated in the recipe are guidelines. Adjust to suit your taste.

Make the rice and chop the veggies the night before. This stir fry takes 10 minutes if the spice blend is ready.

For the spice blend:

The flame while making the spice blend is always low.

• In a thick wok dry roast the chillies and the dry coconut on low flame.
• Stir-fry till the coconut is reddish and the chillies are crisp. Transfer to a plate.
  • Here I will suggest cutting up the chillies. It is easier to stir.
• Add a teaspoon of oil to the same wok.  Add the Bengal gram lentil and stir-fry on low flame, until the lentils become reddish. Transfer to the plate of coconut and red chillies.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the block of asafoetida. Drain and add to the plate of chillies.
• Next add the cinnamon, cloves and the Marathi moggu. Fry till you get an aroma. Drain and add to the plate.
• Add the urid dal and again roast till you get a lovely reddish hue of dal. Transfer to the plate.
• Next, add the coriander seeds and roast till reddish. Add the fenugreek seeds and stir-fry. Switch off the gas and keep stirring.
• Add all the ingredients to the plate to the wok and mix well. Let the mixture cool completely.
• Once cool make a fine powder in the dry grinder or if you are using a coffee grinder in it. Mix well and store in an airtight bottle. A glass bottle is better.

Now that we have the spice mix let us make the rice.

How to make the stirfry the traditional way:

• Heat oil in a pan and the mustard and let it splutter. Add turmeric.
• Add the veggies and cook them.
• Add the rice and masala, salt and stir.
• Serve hot with accompaniments of your choice. I will like curds and papad.

Now for the twist in the rice:

• Heat oil in a pan, add the cashew nuts and fry till light golden brown. Drains and set aside.
• Now add the mustard and let it splutter, add turmeric.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste, onions and stir-fry till the onions are translucent.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy.
• Add the veggies I have used cauliflower, capsicum, french beans, baby corn and peas. Cook the veggies.
• As the veggies are cooking add some of the masala and salt to the cooled rice. Mix well taking care not to break the rice grains.
• Add the rice to the pan in which the veggies are cooking. Add the fried cashew nuts. Mix well.
• Adjust the seasonings and dish out.
• Serve hot.

Substitutes:

• In place of rice consider using quinoa and millets. The meal will be very filling especially if you are planning a Pegan diet bowl.
• If you wish to make use of non-veg items consider shredded chicken, prawns, and crab sticks.

Variations:

• I love to add fried tofu or fried paneer to the veggies.
• You can also scramble an egg after the veggies cook.
• Make it spicy add more chilli or pair it with a spicy curry.
• For a dinner party try adding fried nuts and raisins.

Equipment:

• Wok
• Ladles
• Bowls
• Knife and Cutting board

How to serve:

• Serve hot with curds and papad.
• Now you can always pair it with a curry-like tomato saar.
• For a party serve garnished with coriander leaves, nuts and raisins.

How to store:

• The spice mix will stay in a glass bottle for about 2 months. The only condition is to use a dry spoon every time you use it.
• For a longer period of storage say 4-5 months use the fridge. Spice blends taste better when fresh so I will not recommend storing it for more than 6 months.
• The rice you can carry as lunch to work or school.
• The cooked rice will stay good in the fridge for 3 days. I have never tried storing for a longer period so cannot say for sure.

Every month at Shhh! Secretly Cooking we use different themes to explore. This time we are looking at homemade masala or spice blends thanks to Jayashree of Evergreen dishes.

I have been paired with Seema from Mildly Indian. Seema has some amazingly yum recipes. They are simple and delicious do check out her recipes. For the challenge, I gave Seema black salt and dried mint and she has posted Chaat Masala Recipe. I am grateful for the recipe as we consume it a lot.

My secret ingredients from Seema are cinnamon and dry coconut.

For Your Questions:

Protips:

• Spice blends taste better when fresh so I will not recommend storing it for more than 6 months.
• The rice has to be well cooked but separate. Sticky rice is a no-no.
• Leftover rice is perfect.
• I have used Sona masuri rice you can use basmati or any short-grained rice.

Some Quick Rice Recipe:

Recipe card:

Nutritional Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Please check with your nutritionist for your dietary needs and restrictions. Ultimately you are responsible for your decisions.

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