Bassaruಬಸ್ಸಾರು
⏱ Prep 15m🍳 Cook 40m🍽 Serves 3🌿 Vegan
Video: Rekha Aduge (YouTube)
Bassaru is one of Karnataka's most ingenious everyday dishes — a single pot of lentils and greens cooked together, then separated into two distinct preparations. The strained liquid becomes a thin, tangy rasam-like curry; the solids are tossed into a coconut-spiced stir-fry called soppina palya. Together they make a deeply economical and deeply satisfying meal over rice.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪Toor dal (split pigeon pea / togari bele)½ cup
- ▪Green beans, roughly chopped200g
- ▪Spinach or dill leaves (soppu / ಸೊಪ್ಪು)2 cups packed
- ▪Fresh coconut, grated (kobbari)½ cup, divided
- ▪Byadagi dried red chilies4
- ▪Cumin seeds (jeerige / ಜೀರಿಗೆ)1½ tsp, divided
- ▪Coriander seeds (dhaniya)1 tsp
- ▪Black pepper (kari menasina kalu)½ tsp
- ▪Mustard seeds (sasive / ಸಾಸಿವೆ)1 tsp
- ▪Curry leaves (karibevu / ಕರಿಬೇವು)12 leaves
- ▪Onion, finely chopped1 small
- ▪Turmeric (arisina)½ tsp
- ▪Tamarind pulp1½ tbsp
- ▪Oil2 tbsp
- ▪Saltto taste
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Fresh coconut is sold frozen in Indian and Sri Lankan grocery stores abroad — thaw overnight in the fridge and it works perfectly. Avoid desiccated coconut; it is too dry for this dish.
- Byadagi chilies give the authentic deep red color without excessive heat; substitute with a mix of Kashmiri (for color) and one regular dried red chili if unavailable.
- Any leafy green works in the soppu role — methi (fenugreek leaves), amaranth, or even kale will all give a slightly different character to the bassaru.
Method
- 1Pressure-cook the toor dal, green beans, and greens together with turmeric and 2½ cups water for 3 whistles (about 12 minutes). Alternatively, simmer covered in a pot until the dal and beans are fully soft, 25–30 minutes.
- 2Strain the cooked mixture through a colander set over a bowl, pressing lightly. The strained liquid is your bassaru (curry base); the solids go into the palya.
- 3Dry-roast the red chilies, coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, and black pepper in a dry pan for 2 minutes until fragrant. Grind with ¼ cup of the grated coconut and a little water to a coarse paste.
- 4Stir the ground paste and tamarind pulp into the strained liquid. Simmer on medium heat for 8–10 minutes, adjusting salt. In a small pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and pop ½ tsp mustard seeds with 6 curry leaves; pour this tempering over the bassaru.
- 5For the soppina palya: heat 1½ tbsp oil in a kadai. Pop the remaining ½ tsp mustard seeds, add 6 curry leaves and the chopped onion; fry until the onion softens, about 4 minutes.
- 6Add the reserved cooked solids (dal, beans, and greens) and the remaining ¼ cup grated coconut. Season with salt and ½ tsp cumin. Toss and cook on medium heat for 3–4 minutes until dry and fragrant.
- 7Serve the bassaru curry poured over rice with the soppina palya alongside.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.