• 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.
  2 tablespoon peanuts
• 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.
  1 tablespoon gram dal or chana dal, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 Onion, 2 green chilies
• 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.
  8 small brinjal, 2 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 ½ cup basmati rice
• 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.

Vangi bath powder method

• To prepare your own flavorful vangi bath masala powder, roast the ingredients listed above. Start by heating 2 teaspoon oil and roasting red chilies, gram dal, urad dal, and coriander seeds until slightly brown under the 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