A favorite western Indian dish is this easy but complexly flavored Masale Bhat, which translates to rice with masala or spices. It's evocative of celebrations and happy times, but is easy enough for a weeknight dinner!
My mom belonged to the Alphonso-gold state of Maharashtra and as a result I've always had a special place in my heart for Marathi foods like Kande Pohe, Puran Poli, Varan Bhat and Sabudana Khichdi.
One of my all-time favorite foods, one that's considered so special it's almost always on any Maharashtrian wedding menu, is this Masale Bhat.
The food of Maharashtra, much like its people, is complex with an undertone of sweetness and a salt-of-the-earth approach that lends itself easily both to home cooking and the state's famous street foods like Pav Bhaji, Misal Pav and Vada Pav.
This Masale Bhat I am sharing with you is drawn from the many versions of this complex but delicious dish I ate growing up, at weddings and celebrations, where it was a mandatory presence on the menu.
If you've never eaten a Masale Bhat before, you're in for a treat. This is an extremely healthy dish, with lots of veggies and rice married together with a spice mix unique to Maharashtra, called Goda Masala, or "sweet masala".
That may sound like an oxymoron, but what it really means is that it includes, in addition to spices, some elements that are nutty and sweet, like coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and fennel.
You can buy goda masala online or at any Indian store, but if you can, I'd strongly advise you make your own. That's because I've often found the coconut goes rancid in storebought versions, and the couple of times I actually bought this masala, I had to throw it out without using it. Making goda masala at home is quite easy and you can find my goda masala recipe on my DIY spice mixes page. For those who'd rather buy it, I'll add an affiliate link in the recipe box below. Remember to refrigerate it in an airtight jar because the coconut can go rancid over time.
I tried this today and I love it! I substituted a small bottle gourd for the zucchini and served it with coconut red lentil dhal on the side. Thank you for your blog and recipes..it really makes being vegan fun, and I get to impress my foodie friends that otherwise would not consider meatless meals.
-Alice
Ingredients
- Basmati rice
- Coconut oil
- Spices: green cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne (optional) and goda masala
- Vegetables: carrot, cauliflower and zucchini
- Sugar (or jaggery, or coconut sugar would be great. Piloncillo, if you have some, is a fine replacement for jaggery)
- Fresh grated coconut or frozen coconut (unsweetened)
- Fresh cilantro
Tips for making masale bhat
- I like using eggplant and tendli or ivy gourd, both veggies that I remember were always used in the versions of Masale Bhat I ate. I didn't have either when I made it this time, so I went with cauliflower, carrots and potatoes, and I threw in a zucchini to replace the ivy gourd. It all worked out quite well.
- Masale Bhath is usually made with Kolam rice, which has medium-sized grains that don't clump when cooked. Basmati is a perfectly fine substitute, and it's the rice I use.
- You don't need to soak the rice in advance, but you do need to wash it to remove excess starch and prevent clumping. You can do this in a strainer or by placing it in a bowl and washing it in two or three changes of water.
- Masale Bhat is often cooked in ghee because it's a dish for special occasions. Coconut oil is a fine vegan substitute. Coconut is a food widely eaten in Maharashtra, and there's coconut in this recipe, so it fits in quite well.
- If you can't source goda masala, you can substitute with garam masala. Then toast 2 teaspoon sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin and 2 tablespoon coconut on a dry skillet until lightly brown, blend into a powder and add that too to the masale bhat along with the garam masala.
- Make sure, after adding water to the sauteed spices, veggies and rice, that the water in the saucepan tastes a little saltier than you'd like your food to be.
- Once the water has boiled and you cover the saucepan with a lid to let the rice cook, don't be tempted to peek or give it a stir. Let the rice cook undisturbed for 15 minutes, and then let it stand for 10 more minutes for the best results.
- After removing the lid, fluff up the rice grains with a fork so they remain separate.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with vegan cucumber raita or kachumber.
- Serve with poppadum and an Indian lime pickle on the side.
More Indian rice recipes
Masale Bhat Recipe
Equipment
- Large saucepan with a tight lid
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice (washed under running water or in several changes of water)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 5 green cardamom pods (crushed slightly but left whole)
- 5 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large potato (cut into ½-inch dice)
- 1 large carrot (cut into ½-inch dice)
- ½ small head cauliflower (separated into small florets)
- 1 medium zucchini (cut into 1-inch strips)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional --the goda masala has some heat)
- 2 tablespoon goda masala (you can substitute with garam masala; see tips above)
- 1 heaping tbsp sugar (or jaggery, or coconut sugar. Piloncillo, if you have some, is a fine replacement for jaggery)
- ¼ cup unsweetened, fresh coconut (grated or frozen)
- ¼ cup cilantro (minced)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil. Add the cardamom, cloves and bay leaves and saute until the bay leaves start to change color and become lightly golden.
- Add the potatoes and carrots and saute, stirring frequently, until the potatoes have a light brown crust.
- Add the cauliflower and zucchini and continue sauteeing another couple of minutes.
- Add the powdered spices--turmeric, coriander powder, cumin and goda masala--and saute for a minute to coat the spices with the oil and toast them.
- Add the washed rice and stir until the rice begins to turn opaque.
- Add 4 cups water to the rice, and add enough salt to make the water a bit saltier than you'd like your final dish to be.
- Stir well, bring to a boil, then cover the rice with a tight-fitting lid. Let the rice cook over medium heat for five minutes, then lower the heat and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, never opening the lid once during cooking.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice stand another 10 minutes. Open and sprinkle on the coconut and cilantro.
- Serve hot or warm.
Alice Phelan
I tried this today and I love it! I substituted a small bottle gourd for the zucchini and served it with coconut red lentil dhal on the side. Thank you for your blog and recipes..it really makes being vegan fun, and I get to impress my foodie friends that otherwise would not consider meatless meals.
Jayashree
Looks delicious. I remember my mom making a similar diah with eggplants like you said, its a quick and simple recipe for dinner. Thanks for sharing ??
The Veggie Guy
Sounds delicious... I wonder where one would get asafetida in the states...
Gita's Kitchen
Sounds like a ideal dinner on a busy night, the picture looks very colorful 🙂