Vangi Bath is a delicious recipe combining eggplants and rice from the Karnataka cuisine. This Vangi Bath recipe features the unique spice blend of vangi bath masala powder and tamarind pulp as two of the essential ingredients that make this rice based dish tangy and flavorful.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Karnataka

Ingredients

  • 225 grams rice ((sona masuri) or 1 heaped cup of rice)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ tablespoon tamarind ((tightly packed))
  • ¼ cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil (- can also use sesame oil or sunflower oil)
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon urad dal ((hulled and split black gram))
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (or cashews)
  • 1 stalk curry leaves (or 10 to 12 curry leaves)
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida ((hing))
  • 1 to 2 dry red chilies ((seeds removed))
  • 200 grams eggplants
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 to 2.5 tablespoons vangi bath masala powder
  • salt (as per taste)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut (- fresh & grated, optional)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon jaggery powder (or chopped jaggery)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves (- chopped), optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. First soak 1 heaped cup rice in water for 30 minutes. Use any regular rice. I used sona masuri rice.
  2. Then pressure cook the rice with 2 cups water, ¼ teaspoon salt for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium heat or for 11 to 12 minutes. You can also cook the rice in a pot. If cooking in a pot or pan, then you may need to add more water.
  3. Soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Later squeeze the soaked tamarind in the water to get the tamarind pulp. Strain and keep aside.
  5. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the cooker's lid and fluff the rice.
  6. You can allow the rice to cool in the cooker itself or spread rice on a large plate/thali or tray. Let the cooked rice grains become warm or cool down. Cover and keep so that the rice grains do not dry out.
  7. When the rice is cooking, rinse the brinjals. Remove the crowns of the brinjals and slice them vertically in 4 long pieces. As soon as you chop them, place them in a bowl containing water to which some salt has been added.
  8. Do make sure that there is sufficient water covering the brinjals. Allow them to be in the salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Making vangi bath

  1. Heat the peanut oil (can also use sesame oil or sunflower oil) in a pan or kadai.
  2. Add mustard seeds.
  3. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, then add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
  4. Next add 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts or cashews.
  5. Sauté until the urad dal becomes golden.
  6. Then add red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
  7. Add the eggplants or brinjals. Simply remove the brinjals from the salted water and add in the pan. Be careful as the mixture splutters when adding the brinjals.
  8. Mix them with the rest of the tempering mixture.
  9. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder. Also add salt according to taste.
  10. Mix the turmeric powder and salt very well.
  11. Cover the pan with a lid and let the brinjals get half-cooked. Do check at intervals. While cooking, if the brinjals start sticking to the pan then add some water. Then cover and cook.
  12. Half cook the brinjals.
  13. Once they are half cooked, then add the tamarind pulp.
  14. Next add 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of the vangi bath masala powder.
  15. Mix very well and continue to cook without the lid. If the masala along with brinjals start sticking to pan, then add ¼ cup water and continue to cook.
  16. Once the brinjals are cooked well and tender, add 2 tablespoons grated coconut and ¼ to ½ teaspoon jaggery powder.
  17. Mix again very well. The brinjal masala is thick. But for some moisture you can have a semi gravy consistency in the brinjal masala.
  18. Keep the pan down and add rice in two to three parts. Mix gently.
  19. Add the first portion of rice and mix well. Then add the next portion of rice and again mix well.
  20. Mix gently but very well so that everything is mixed evenly.
  21. Serve Vangi Bath with raita, papad or chips.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.