Vangi Bath (Brinjal Rice)
Vangi Bath is a delightful dish of brinjal rice hailing from Karnataka's culinary tradition. This Vangi Bath recipe incorporates vangi bath masala powder and tamarind pulp as its primary components.
Ingredients
For Cooking Rice
- 225 grams sona masuri rice or 1 heaped cup of rice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
For Preparing Tamarind Pulp
- ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
- ¼ cup hot water
Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil – can also use sesame oil or sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts or cashews
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 10 to 12 curry leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 2 dry red chilies
- 200 grams small to medium sized green or purple brinjal (baingan or vangi or egg plant) – cut in long pieces and soaked in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons vangi bath masala powder
- salt as per taste
- 2 tablespoon fresh grated coconut, optional
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon jaggery powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- First soak 1 heaped cup rice in water for 30 minutes. Use any regular rice. I used sona masuri rice.
- Then pressure cook the rice with 2 cups water, ¼ teaspoon salt for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame or for 11 to 12 minutes. You can also cook the rice in a pot. If cooking in a pot, then you may need to add more water.
- Soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Later squeeze the soaked tamarind in the water to get the tamarind pulp. Strain and keep aside.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the cooker’s lid and fluff the rice.
- You can allow the rice to cool in the cooker itself or spread rice on a large plate/thali or tray. Allow the cooked rice grains to become warm or cool down. Cover and keep so that the rice grains do not dry out.
- 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.
- 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
- Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil (can also use sesame oil or sunflower oil) in a pan or kadai.
- Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
- Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, then add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
- Next add 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts or cashews.
- Saute till the urad dal becomes golden.
- Then add 1 to 2 dry red chilies, 1 sprig curry leaves or 10 to 12 curry leaves and ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (about 2 pinches of asafoetida).
- Add the brinjals. Just remove the brinjals from the salted water and add in the pan. Be careful as the mixture splutters when adding brinjals.
- Mix them with the rest of the tempering mixture.
- Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder. Also add salt as per taste.
- Mix the turmeric powder and salt very well.
- 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.
- Half cook the brinjals.
- Once they are half done, then add the tamarind pulp.
- Then add 2 to 2.5 tablespoons vangi bath masala powder.
- 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.
- Once the brinjals are cooked well, add 2 tablespoons grated coconut and ¼ to ½ teaspoon jaggery powder.
- Mix again very well. The brinjal masala is thick. But for some moisture you can have a semi gravy consistency in the brinjal masala.
- Keep the pan down and add rice in two to three parts. Mix gently.
- Add the next portion of rice and then mix well.
- Mix gently but very well so that everything is mixed evenly.
- Serve vangi bath with raita, papads or chips.
Nutrition
Calories: 687kcalCarbohydrates: 106gProtein: 13gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1523mgPotassium: 549mgFiber: 9gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 430IUVitamin C: 134.6mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 2mg
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