BHARELLA MUTTER BHAT

Bharella mutter bhat translated means - Rice cooked with vegetables that have been stuffed with spices.   In this recipe, the vegetables are stuffed with several spices.   The origins of this recipe are in East Africa.  This is a favourite recipe of my husband and his mum taught me how to make this bharela mutter bhat.  I have never known anyone else make this dish so would be very interested to hear from anyone who does make this dish.


Ingredients to make mutter bhat for 4 people.
For the stuffing:

2 tablespoons coriander powder
2 tablespoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chilly powder (can use less if you so wish)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon of crushed and blended garlic
1 tiny piece of jaggery

For the mutter bhat:

1 cup of basmati rice
6 small potatoes
5 small aubergines
1 onion
half a cup of peas ( I used frozen peas)
half a cup of diced carrots ( I used frozen carrots)
1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I used sunflower oil)

Method

1.  Wash and soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes or more if possible.

2.  Prepare the masala for the stuffing. Add everything listed for the stuffing in a microwave dish and cook it for one minute, remove and stir.

3.   Wash and prepare the vegetables.   Slice the potatoes and aubergines and stuff them with the spice mixture.  Cut the onions into large pieces and arrange all the vegetables in a microwave dish as shown below: (use a fairly smart cooking dish as this bhat is usually served straight at the table)

4. Drain the water from the rice and add it on top of the vegetables:

5. Add one cup of water to the mixture. Also add half a teaspoon of salt.

6.   Add the frozen peas and carrots on top of this mixture.

7. Add any remaining spicy mixture on top of  the vegetables and rice

8.  Using a fork, mix the spices and cook the bharella bhat in the microwave for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the mixture.

9.  The rice takes 25 minutes in a fast microwave.  I suggest that you check the bhat every ten minutes to ensure it is cooking well.  You can prick the potatoes with a knife to check if they are cooked. At no time, stir the mixture.

10.  Cooking in the microwave, seals in all the flavours and the aroma when this dish was cooking was out of this world.

11.  The rice should be served straight from the microwave dish  ensuring  that the vegetables do not get squashed.

12.  The rice can be eaten with yogurt or kadhi and hot chapattis.

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