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Masala bhat is made by cooking rice in a mixture of vegetables like cauliflower, capsicum and others along with dry coconut, sesame seeds and other spices. Roasted nuts are also added for taste and experience enhancement. The steps to make masala bhat at home are very easy. Read my recipe to learn them.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Masala bhat is quite popular in Maharashtra and also in other Indian regions.
Serve it with curd, raita, papad, or a simple salad for a complete meal.

Masala bhat tastes mildly spicy, nutty, and earthy.
Other similar recipes are vangi bhat, tawa pulao, and tomato rice.

The Ingredients:

1 cup rice (washed, soaked, and drained)
¼ cup dry coconut
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds (shah jeera)
1 piece bay leaf
2 pieces cinnamon sticks (each 1-inch size)
3 pieces cloves
1 piece star anise
2 pieces cardamom
4 pieces of black peppercorns
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
½ cup potato (cut in small cubes)
¼ cup of cauliflower florets
¼ cup capsicum (cut in small cubical pieces)
1.5 tsp ginger (grated)
¼ cup tomatoes (finely chopped)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chili powder
3 cups water
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp cashew nuts (broken)
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

One day I was carelessly flipping through my old recipe book. Suddenly this particular recipe caught my eye as it was not written by me. It was surely not my handwriting. Maybe a neighbor had written it in during an afternoon chat a long ago. I had forgotten all about it.

I made it that weekend. My husband found it nostalgic, and my boys asked, “Who wrote this one?” Now, it is our memory-revisit meal. That surprise reminded me that friendships leave little imprints—in recipes, in shared notebooks, and in moments that resurface years later just when you need comfort the most.

How to Make Masala Bhat? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Heat a frying pan on medium flame and put ¼ cup of dry coconut in it. Stir and roast it for about a minute. Remove it on a plate and keep it aside.

Step 2: Then, in the same pan, put in 1 tsp of sesame seeds, 1 tsp of coriander seeds, 1 tsp of caraway seeds (shah jeera), 1 piece of bay leaf, 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks (each 1-inch size), 3 pieces of cloves, 1 piece of star anise, 2 pieces of cardamom, and 4 pieces of black peppercorns. Roast them on a low flame as well and remove them on the same plate when you smell their aroma. Let these spices cool down a bit.

Step 3: Now, transfer them all to a mixer and blend them nicely.

Step 4: Now, heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan on a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and ½ tsp of mustard seeds (rai) to it and sauté them until they stop spluttering.

Step 5: At this stage, add ½ cup of potato (cut in small cubes) to it and sauté them for a minute or so. Then, add ¼ cup of cauliflower florets and sauté very nicely. Finally, add ¼ cup of capsicum (cut in small cubical pieces) and sauté on a medium flame.

Step 6: Now, add 1.5 tsp of grated ginger and ¼ cup of finely chopped tomatoes to it. Cook them on a medium flame until all the veggies turn soft.

Step 7: Then, add 1 cup of washed, soaked, and drained rice to it followed by ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of red chili powder, and the ground spices made earlier. Mix everything very nicely and then add 3 cups of water to it along with 1.5 tsp of salt and give it a nice mix. When it comes to a boil, cover the pan and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes on a low flame.

Step 8: In the meantime, in a separate pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter) and roast 1 tbsp of broken cashew nuts in it.

Step 9: Now, remove the lid from the pan, check and gently fluff up the rice when done. Now, add the roasted cashew nuts to it along with 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves.