Instant Pot Bisi Bele Bhath

Published: Feb 23, 2017 · Modified: May 2, 2021 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 42 Comments

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Bisi Bele Bhath is a spicy and flavor-packed rice dish cooked with lentils, rice, vegetables, and aromatic spices! I love South Indian food and the flavors of the fresh spices and ground lentils used in various dishes are simply divine. Bisi Bele Bhath to me is the ultimate comfort food when it comes to simple home-cooked South Indian food.

What is Bisi Bele Bath?

Bisi Bele Bhath, a South Indian rice-based dish means 'hot lentil rice'. I must put this disclaimer up-front that I am no expert in south Indian cooking and I am sure there are many different ways to cook this wholesome dish.

Bisi Bele Bhath or sambhar rice was introduced to me by my friend, Indu a few years back. While my kitchen was under major renovation in the midst of cold winter months, Indu would deliver us fresh homemade food. One of her mouth-watering dishes is this Bisi Bele Bhath that soon became a favorite in my house.

Once my kitchen was all ready, I couldn't wait to get the recipe from Indu and make it myself. Her suggestion that I always follow is to use hardy vegetables like potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower, beans, etc, and not leafy vegetables.

What are drumsticks?

These are not chicken drumsticks. These are hardy beans from Moringa tree, sold as fresh or frozen in Indian grocery stores. They are optional and can be skipped as there is no good substitute.

Bisi Bele Bhath Powder

The spice blend used in this recipe is made by roasting and grinding dried red chilies, coriander seeds, lentils(chana daal), fenugreek seeds, and shredded coconut. This spice blend powder can be made ahead of time or a store-bought Bisi Bele Bhath spice blend powder would also work. The store-bought one tends to be much spicy so add it to taste.

I rinse rice and lentils while I get the spice blend and the vegetables ready. This allows the lentils to soak in the water for a little and cook faster. Traditionally cooked in a stovetop pressure cooker this recipe is easy to adapt to Instant Pot.

Variations and Substitutes

You can add veggies like pearl onions, pumpkin, and squash
Substitute lemon juice for tamarind paste
Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder instead of whole chili peppers in the spice blend
Add an extra 1 to 2 cups of water for a more stew-like consistency
Substitute white rice with quinoa, same pressure cooking time
To substitute white rice with brown rice simply increase pressure cook time to 22 minutes

As with most instant pot recipes, I always make sure that I have all the ingredients ready even before I turn the Instant Pot on. Here is a video on the one-pot version of this south Indian dish that we love - Bisi Bele Bhath in Instant Pot:

Although I make this dish in ghee, I love to drizzle another spoonful of ghee on top with a blob of tangy pickle and roasted papad to scoop it with!

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Author: Archana

Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.

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