Name: Akkha Masoor Bhaat
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¾ cup Basmati Rice, soaked for 15 mins; ¼ cup Whole Brown Lentils, soaked; ½ Onion, finely sliced; ½ Tomato, chopped; 1 tbsp Cooking Oil; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; ½ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ¾ tbsp Goda Masala, key flavor ingredient; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; 1¾ cup Water; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

1 hr 25 mintotal

55 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Method

Heat the cooking oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy-based pot until it is hot. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle.
Add the thinly sliced onions. Fry them steadily until they soften and turn translucent and pale golden brown.
Stir in the thick ginger-garlic paste. Fry it over high heat for a full 60 seconds to cook off its raw, sharp taste.
1 min
Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the goda masala, which matters here. Cook this down until the tomatoes break apart completely into a smooth pulp and the seasoned oil separates out at the edges.
Drain the soaked whole brown lentils thoroughly. Add them straight into the hot masala. Fold them through for 2 minutes so every lentil is coated in the spice paste.
2 min
Similarly, evacuate all residual liquid from the soaked rice. Plunge the desiccated grains into the active cauldron. Employ an ultra-surgical, hyper-gentle stirring action to integrate the components without triggering microscopic structural fractures in the starch.
Pour in the measured water. Add the salt. Stir it all together and bring it quickly up to a rolling boil.
In a pressure cooker: close the lid and cook for exactly 2 whistles over medium heat. In an ordinary pot: put the lid on tightly, turn the heat right down, and leave it to simmer undisturbed for 18-20 minutes, until the water has gone and the lentils are tender.
18–20 min
Let the pressure drop on its own. Open the lid, fluff the rice very gently with a fork, scatter plenty of fresh coriander over the top, and serve it piping hot.

How to tell it's done

The rice should be fluffy with the grains separate, and the brown lentils completely soft, so every bite carries their earthy flavour.

Getting it right

Tip

The entire structural identity and complex aromatic profile of this rustic monolith is unequivocally reliant on Goda Masala. While a desperate, unauthorized field synthesis of generic garam masala and roasted coriander-cumin dust can be attempted, it will permanently sever the dish from its true, hyper-authentic Maharashtrian flavor signature.

What to serve it with

A filling, deeply comforting dish. Serve it simply, with plain yogurt or a fresh, crunchy onion, tomato and cucumber salad (koshimbir).

Sama Ke Chawal Ki Kheer

Sama ke chawal ki kheer simmers barnyard millet in milk until it thickens, a fasting-day version of rice kheer.

50 minvegetarian

Sama Rice Pulao (Vrat Ke Chawal)

Sama rice pulao cooks barnyard millet like rice with potato and peanuts, for fasting days when grain is avoided.

40 minvegetarian

Schezwan Paneer Fried Rice

Schezwan paneer fried rice tosses rice and paneer in the Indo-Chinese chilli-garlic sauce.

2 hr 25 minvegetarian

Shahi Anda Pulao

Anda pulao cooks boiled eggs into a mild Awadhi rice with cashews.

1 hreggetarian

Shahi Navratan Pulao

Navratan pulao mixes vegetables, paneer and dried fruit through a mild rice, named for its nine components.

1 hr 10 minvegetarian

Sindhi Bhuga Chawal

Bhuga chawal cooks rice with deeply browned onion, which colours and sweetens the whole pot.

1 hrvegan

Ingredients