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Vangi bath
Aubergine rice
ವಾಂಗಿ ಬಾತ್: Karnataka rice with tender brinjal in a freshly roasted coconut, dal and byadgi chilli powder, sweet-sour with tamarind
In Bengaluru and Mysuru, vangi bath is weekend breakfast at a darshini and a favourite for office tiffins, and at Kannada weddings it often appears on the banana leaf. Small purple brinjals are cooked with tamarind, jaggery and a fresh vangi bath powder roasted from dals, coriander seed, byadgi chillies, cinnamon and dry coconut, then folded into cooled rice. The flavour is warm, smoky, tangy and slightly sweet, with peanuts for crunch. Serve it with plain curd or a cucumber raita and a papad. The common mistake is cooking the brinjal to mush; cut it into fingers and cook just until tender, so the pieces hold. Chef's tip: grind the powder fresh and roast each ingredient separately on low heat; burnt dal or coriander turns the whole dish bitter.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vangi bath powder
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- ¾ in cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
For the rice
- 1 ⅓ lb cooked ricefrom 200 g raw sona masoori, cooled
- 10 ½ oz small purple brinjalscut into fingers, kept in salted water
- 3 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp raw peanuts
- 12 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tbsp thick tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp jaggerygrated
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water
To garnish
- ⅓ oz fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: In a dry pan over low heat, roast 1 tbsp chana dal and 1 tbsp urad dal for 2–3 minutes until golden, then tip out. Roast 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 6 dried byadgi chillies, ¾ in cinnamon stick and 3 cloves for 2 minutes until fragrant and the chillies crisp. Toast 2 tbsp desiccated coconut for 30 seconds.
7 minStep 2: Cool, then grind everything to a fine powder.
2 minStep 3: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil in a wide kadai over medium heat. Fry 2 tbsp raw peanuts for 1–2 minutes until golden, then add 1 tsp black mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add 12 curry leaves, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing) and ¼ tsp ground turmeric.
3 minStep 4: Drain 10 ½ oz small purple brinjals and add it with half the ⅝ tsp salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add ¼ cup water, cover and cook on low heat for 6–8 minutes until the brinjal is just tender.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 1 ½ tbsp thick tamarind pulp, 1 tsp jaggery and 3 tbsp of the vangi bath powder and cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes until the mixture is thick and oil glistens on top.
3 minStep 6: Add 1 ⅓ lb cooked rice and the rest of the ⅝ tsp salt and fold gently over low heat for 2 minutes until evenly coloured. Taste, add more powder if you like, and scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vangi bath take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coriander seeds?
- Ground coriander, same amount (add it later in the cooking; it burns faster).
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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