As a traditional recipe, masale bhat is always considered to be a one pot meal or complete meal that requires only one side dish. It is now more commonly served as part of a thali or a proper meal alongside other curries and rotis. Whether you are having it for lunch or dinner, this vegetable masala pulao will satisfy your appetite. If you’d like, you can also pack it in a lunch box for your kids or an office lunchbox. I love this vegetarian, one-pot rice recipe because it can be made in no time at all.
You can prepare this spicy, tasty, and nutritious Indian meal in just a few minutes with our recipe.
It is one of the most popular Maharashtrian meals that are usually served during Maharashtrian weddings and festivals.
Typically, you have to prepare the spice mix or goda masala in advance so you are able to use it whenever you want. The flavor and aroma of this masala are unique to any dish that it is added to…This masale bhaat is no exception. You will love how quick and easy this method is while still being full of flavours and spices.
This Recipe highlights:
- Prep time: 10 mins
- Cook time: 15 mins
- Total time: 25 mins
- Cuisine: TraditionalIndian
- Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
(For Dry Masala)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 whole Cardamom(elaichi)
- 1 star anise
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 8-9 cloves black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
- 1/2 cup turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup red chili powder
- 1.5 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
Required veggies/sabzi:
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup Ginger & garlic paste
- 1 cup potato (diced)
- 1 cup carrot
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 cup French peas
- 1 cup tomato
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 cup tinda sabzi
Rice:
For rice, take one big bowl of it and soaked in water for atleast 20 mins prior!
Additionals:
To enhance the texture, you can use coriander leaves, 1 tbsp ghee(Clarified Butter) for garnishing, and salt as for your taste!
Getting started:
Get the vegetables ready and set them aside. Mixed vegetables will fill 2 cups.
- Peel and cut the carrots into cubes
- Peel potatoes and cut them into cubes
- Take one onion and vertically slice it into rings
- Frozen or fresh green peas are both acceptable.
- For a cauliflower cut it into small florets.
- For tinda sabzi, vertically cut it into long slimmer pieces.
- As for the French beans, discard the tip of their stem.
- Cut longer slices of a tomato and set it aside
How to Cook
- Heat up the wok with two tablespoons of oil on high heat. Adding all the whole spices when the oil is temperate is the next step: two bay leaves, cinnamon one piece, elaichi two pieces, star anise one piece, cloves 4-5 pieces, black pepper 8-10 pieces cumin seeds one tsp. Stir all the ingredients well.
- Now add 1 cup chopped onion and stir well.
- Incorporate one tsp of ginger garlic paste into all contents and stir again.
- Now add 1/2 cup turmeric powder and 1/2 cup red chili powder. Stir well.
- Now add one cup of carrots, and potatoes one cup and stir.
- Then add green peas one cup, tinda one cup, one cup of cauliflower, and French peas one cup. Mix properly and let them saute.
- It’s time to add the tomatoes, add one cup, and whisk gently for a few seconds.
- Cover the lid for 5 mins.
- After 5 mins, uncover the wok and sprinkle over garam masala 1.5 tsp. And add salt as per your taste. And mix all the ingredients again.
- Now drain the water from the rice and add it to a wok and cook it for a few minutes.
- Add slowly two big bowls of water. Mix again so the flavor spreads evenly! And cover the lid and let it cook for 10-15 mins.
- Uncover the wok and garnish with one tbsp of ghee or according to your preference! Also, sprinkle some coriander leaves on top!
- Congrats! Your masala bhaat is ready!
Here’s how to Serve!
This dish can be served with various sides. You can serve it with plain steamed rice, pulao, or roti. A side salad can also be served with this dish to complete the meal.
For Garnishing:
- 1 tbsp ghee
- Some coriander leaves
Tips:
- It is fine to use any long grain rice, such as basmati rice or regular rice, for the rice.
- I will not recommend any of the substitute garam masala for this recipe. This would completely ruin the authenticity of this traditional recipe. My goda masala recipe will be available soon, so you can make your own.
- Pour some hot water over the rice and continue cooking it if it is not yet cooked.
- First, roast the spices in oil to bring out their flavors in Masale Bhat. It is best not to use water while roasting the spices. By doing this, Masale Bhat will develop a delicious flavor.
- It is delicious served on its own or paired with cooling raita, mattha (spiced buttermilk), or varan (thin cooked lentils).
How To Cook Masale Bhaat Using An Instant Pot
- When the hot icon appears, add the oil. Press SAUTE.
- Add cumin seeds and asafetida to hot oil and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Once the ginger-garlic paste is ready, add it to the pan and cook for another minute.
- After frying for about a minute, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, goda masala, and garam masala powder.
- The mixed vegetables should be fried for 2-3 minutes after you add them.
- With the rice drained, add 1 cup of water to a pan.
- Stir gently 1 teaspoon salt into 1 cup water.
- Seal the pot with the lid closed and the valve set to sealing.
- Time the high pressure cooker for 6 minutes by pressing PRESSURE COOK.
- During the 10 minutes following the timer, let the pressure naturally release.
- Open the lid after releasing the remaining pressure manually.
Conclusion
The Masale Bhat or a ‘spiced rice’ is a delicious one-pot rice and vegetable meal, which is a popular dish in Maharashtrian cuisine. It’s an easy-to-make dish that’s packed with flavors and textures from its diverse ingredients. It’s also known as Masala Bhat. Having a bowl of this when you’ve had a long day makes for a comforting dinner!
FAQs:
Is it possible to make masale bhat using a pressure cooker?
Alternatively, you can use a pressure cooker to prepare this rice. Continue to follow the same recipe until the lid of the pressure cooker is closed. Put the lid on the pot and pressure cook on high for two whistles. Allow the pressure to release naturally by switching off the heat.
What is the difference between goda masala and garam masala?
While both spice blends are used to add flavor to dishes, goda masala is more commonly used in Maharashtrian cuisine, while garam masala is more commonly used in North Indian and Pakistani cuisine. The taste of goda masala is slightly sweet and nutty, while garam masala has a stronger, pungent flavor.
Spicy Masale Bhat Maharshtrian Style
Ingredients
Dry Masala
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 whole Cardamom elaichi
- 1 star anise
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 8-9 cloves black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
- 1/2 cup turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup red chili powder
- 1.5 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
Veggies/Sabzi:
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup Ginger & garlic paste
- 1 cup potato diced
- 1 cup carrot
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 cup French peas
- 1 cup tomato
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 cup tinda sabzi
Instructions
- First, we need a wok and some oil. We put two tablespoons of oil in the wok and heat it up on high heat.
- When the oil is hot, we add some special spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, elaichi, star anise, cloves, black pepper, and cumin seeds. We stir them well.
- Next, we add chopped onions and stir again.
- We also add ginger garlic paste and stir again.
- After that, we add turmeric powder and red chili powder and stir well.
- Then we add some vegetables like carrots, potatoes, green peas, tinda, cauliflower, and French peas. We mix them properly and let them cook.
- We add tomatoes and whisk gently for a few seconds. Then we cover the wok for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, we sprinkle garam masala and add salt according to our taste. We mix everything again.
- Now we add rice to the wok and cook it for a few minutes. We add two big bowls of water slowly and mix everything again.
- We cover the wok and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Finally, we uncover the wok and add ghee and coriander leaves on top.
- Now our yummy masala bhaat is ready!
