Vangi Bath - Brinjal Rice

I am going to show you how to prepare the perfect vangi bath powder and also put it in use to prepare this delicious dinner. This Vangi Bath recipe hails from my home state Karnataka in India. In simpler words, it is nothing but Brinjal or Eggplant rice. Vangi bath is the name that is popularly known by. My mom prepares this dish quite often and I grew up getting used to her authentic recipe and that’s what I am sharing today.

Vangi bath is a flavorful rice dish infused with several spices supporting eggplant, or bell pepper or a combination of both. The centerpiece of the dish however is the homemade vangi masala that you can prepare well ahead of time and store in an airtight container. It is quite common to find this in ethnic grocery stores too, but the magic of homemade ingredients is unmatched and the freshness of ingredients is something you do not get in store bought powders.

If you are running out of time to entertain guests or needa quick fix dinner recipe, having a powder such as this one will come in handy. Brinjal rice is a vegan, gluten-free, and one-pot meal that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes when you have the powder ready to go. 

The first attempt in preparing this dish in the Instant Pot pressure was a success. It really was that easy. So I have shared the instant pot method as well as the stovetop method here. For the stovetop method however, you have to cook the rice first and have it ready as you prepare the masala. The next time you find aubergines or little purple eggplants, try this recipe! You will not be disappointed! 

Main ingredients

Peanuts 

Brinjal or eggplant 

Onion 

Vangi bath powder

Spices

Tamarind

Jaggery

Instant Pot Method

Just like other Instant pot rice recipes, the cooling process for this brinjal rice recipe is as simple and easy to follow. Press the saute button and add coconut oil to the inner pot. As the oil heats up, add raw peanuts and saute them until they turn crispy. 

Add chana dal and saute for 30 sec followed by mustard seeds. Once everything starts to sizzle, add sliced onions, curry leaves, and sliced green chilies. Continue to saute them until onions turn translucent. Now, add the vangi bath powder and mix well to make sure the flavors are evenly mixed. 

Now, it is time to add chopped eggplant, tamarind paste, jaggery, and salt. Mix well and add the rinsed basmati rice with the appropriate amount of water.

Press the ‘cancel’ button, close the lid and press the ‘pressure cook’ or ‘manual’ button and cook for 4 mins. At the end of the timer, release the pressure naturally before opening the lid. Vangi bath is almost ready! Fluff the rice gently with a fork and garnish with cilantro. Serve this fluffy and flavor-rich brinjal rice paired with raita or papad.

Stovetop method or pan method

For the stovetop method you would have to cook the rice first in a pressure cooker or in a pot and place it aside.

On a separate pan over medium flame, add a few teaspoons of oil. As the oil heats up, start to saute the peanuts to a crispy texture. Continue to saute chana dal and mustard seeds. Once they start to sizzle add sliced onions, curry leaves, and sliced green chilies. Saute them until the onions turn translucent.  Now, add the sliced brinjals and continue to saute until the slices soften and follow up with the vangi bath powder and mix well.  

To improve taste, add tamarind paste, jaggery, and salt and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice . Switch off the heat after 2 minutes. Then add the cooked rice and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Recommended Rice

It is common in my home state of Karnataka to prepare this dish with Sona Masoori rice. But today, I used Basmati rice because it stays in good form even when you mix the rice with the masala that you prepare. For rice-based dishes such as this one, it is very important that the rice does not become too mushy. Mushy rice makes it difficult to get an even mix and does not present well either. 

You could choose to go with any kind, but keep in mind that the water to rice ratio and cooking time varies for every kind. Adding too much or too little water will affect the rice texture in a big way. 

Tips and variations 

• Rice texture is very important for this recipe. It should be cooked just right and not too mushy.
• If you are running short on time to prepare homemade vangi bath powder, you could also use store-bought vangi bath powder. Be sure to adjust your spice level when you add store-bought powder. I used 2 tbsp of vangi bath powder.
• If you don't have brinjals, use bell pepper (capsicum) for delicious results.

Vangi bath powder method

3 - 4 red chilies

1 tbsp gram dal or chana dal

1 tsp urad dal

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 cm length cinnamon

5 cloves

1 star anise

1 cardamom pod

2 tbsp dry coconut or desiccated coconut(optional)

cooking oil to saute

To prepare your own flavorful vangi bath masala powder, roast the ingredients listed above. Start with heating 2 tsp oil and roast red chilies, gram dal, urad dal and coriander seeds until slightly brown under low-medium flame. Follow up by adding cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cardamom. Roast everything together until the dal turns brown. 

At this point, add dried or desiccated coconut flakes and continue to saute for 30 seconds and turn off the heat. After the mixture cools down, grind it into a fine powder and keep it aside in an airtight container to serve whenever you feel like enjoying flavorful brinjal rice.

If this recipe interests you, look for similar recipes in my blog such as the

• Brinjal Masala Curry | Eggplant Curry
• Khara Bath - Masala Bhath
• Brinjal Sambar Recipe - Instant Pot + Stove Top
• Bagara baingan
• Bisi Bele Bath Recipe

If you have time comment below and rate the recipe in the comment box below.  Follow me on social media's Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

📖 Recipe

Vangi Bath - Brinjal Rice

Uma Srinivas

Brinjal rice is a vegan, gluten-free, and one-pot meal that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes when you have the powder ready to go.

4.54 from 13 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time:7 mins

Cook Time:14 mins

Total Time:21 mins

Course :Main Course

Cuisine :Indian

Servings 4 people

Calories 410 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Vegetable Chopper
• Non-Stick Pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For vangi bath powder

• ▢ 3 - 4 red chilies
• ▢ 1 tbsp gram dal or chana dal
• ▢ 1 tsp urad dal
• ▢ 2 tsp coriander seeds
• ▢ 2 cm length cinnamon
• ▢ 5 cloves
• ▢ 1- star anise
• ▢ 1 cardamom pod
• ▢ 2 tbsp dry coconut or desiccated coconut - optional
• ▢ 2 tsp cooking oil to saute

Vangi bath rice Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp peanuts
• ▢ 2 tsp Bengal gram - chana dal
• ▢ 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ▢ 1 strand curry leaves
• ▢ 2 green chilies
• ▢ 1 Onion
• ▢ 8 small brinjal
• ▢ 2 tbsp vangi bath powder
• ▢ 2 tsp tamarind paste - or 3 tsp lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tsp grated jaggery - or use brown sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cup basmati rice
• ▢ 1 ½ cup water
• ▢ Salt to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Press the saute button and add coconut oil to the inner pot. As the oil heats up, add raw peanuts and saute them until they turn crispy.
• Add chana dal and saute for 30 sec followed by mustard seeds. Once everything starts to sizzle, add sliced onions, curry leaves, and sliced green chilies. Continue to saute them until onions turn translucent.
• Now, add the vangi bath powder and mix well to make sure the flavors are evenly mixed.
• Now, it is time to add chopped eggplant, tamarind paste, jaggery, and salt. Mix well and add the rinsed basmati rice with the appropriate amount of water.
• Press the ‘cancel’ button, close the lid and press the ‘pressure cook’ or ‘manual’ button and cook for 4 mins. At the end of the timer, release the pressure naturally before opening the lid.
• Vangi bath is almost ready! Fluff the rice gently with a fork and garnish with cilantro. Serve this fluffy and flavor-rich brinjal rice paired with raita or papad.

Stovetop method or pan method

• For the stovetop method, you would have to cook the rice first in a pressure cooker or in a pot and place it aside.
• On a separate pan over medium flame, add a few teaspoons of oil. As the oil heats up, start to saute the peanuts to a crispy texture.
• Continue to saute chana dal and mustard seeds. Once they start to sizzle add sliced onions, curry leaves, and sliced green chilies. Saute them until the onions turn translucent.
• Now, add the sliced brinjals and continue to saute until the slices soften and follow up with the vangi bath powder and mix well.
• To improve taste, add tamarind paste, jaggery, and salt and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice.
• Switch off the heat after 2 minutes. Then add the cooked rice and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

Note: The nutrition values I show here are my best estimates. Please be sure to check your preferred nutrition calculator, if you are relying on accurate calculations in your diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 118mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg

Keyword Brinjal Rice, Vangi Bath

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