Brinjal Rice(Vaangi Baath)

I’ m a big fan of Brinjal and tried to do lots of different dishes using Brinjal. Some people dont like brinjal, but I bet they will start liking brinjal when they try this Vaangi Bath recipe. Vangi Bath or Brinjal Rice is very popular dish in Karnataka. A delectably yummy dish made with brinjal and a special spice powder. This vangi bath powder is the magic behind this yummy dish. This is a perfect dish for potluck or party dish. Quick, simple, yet very delicious rice variety.

Vangi means brinjal/eggplant/baingan and bath means rice. Vangi bath is a dry rice dish which can be served with raita (mosaru bajji in kannada) and peanuts. Some of the other Karnataka Popular recipes are Saagu, Karnataka Style Tamarind Rice, Bisibelabath, Pineapple Gojju, Akki roti, etc. Among these popular recipes, I often make Sagu and Bisibelabath.

Brinjal Rice / Vaangi Bath / Vangi Bhath

Vangi Bath or Brinjal Rice is very popular dish in Karnataka. A delectably yummy dish made with brinjal and a special spice powder.

2 cups Cooked Rice
100 grams Brinjal
2 teaspoon Salt (Adjust to your taste)
2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
1/4 tsp Turmeric
10 Cashews
1 Onion (slice it vertically )

Ingredients for Vangi Bath Powder

2 tsp Split Bengal Gram (Channa Dal / Kadalaparuppu)
2 tsp Whole Urad Dal
2 Red Chili
2 tsp Cooking Oil
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Grated Coconut
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Asafetida / Hing)
1/4 tsp Sesame Seeds

Ingredients for Seasoning

2 tsp Cooking Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds

Cook the basmati rice fluffy and nicely and keep it ready
Slice the onion vertically and keep it aside
Wash and chop the brinjals into small cubes and keep it aside. Keep the chopped brinjals in water to avoid brinjal becoming black color due to oxidation.
Keep a pan in a flame, add brinjals, turmeric and oil and toss well and keep in medium flame and allow it to cook completely and get roasted. Take the roasted and cooked brinjals separately

Lets make Vangi Bath Powder

Heat another pan, add oil and when the oil is hot, add dals and fry till the dals turn golden brown color. Take it in a mixer. Add sesame seeds, coconut, hing and turmeric and fry till the coconut turns slight golden color
Grind all the fried ingredients in a mixer to a fine powder. Vaangi Baath Powder is ready.

Lets Make the Vang Bath

Heat oil in a pan, add cashews and fry it till they turn golden brown color. Take this aside
Now add cumin seeds to the hot oil and allow them to sputter
Add chopped onions and add a pinch of salt and mix well and allow the onions to turn transparent and slightly brown
Now add the chopped and cooked brinjal pieces and mix well along with necessary salt. Keep in flame for 2 minutes
Add the vangibath powder and mix well and keep in flame for another 5 minutes
Add the cooked rice to the brinjal fry
Mix the cooked rice gently and add the cashew nuts and mix well
The scrumptious and mild spicy Vaangi Bath is ready to serve with any raitha. Vaangi bath goes very well with cucumber raitha or onion Raitha

We can use any Raw Rice like Sona mesoori or basmati rice
We can add little jaggery to enhance the flavor
Make sure the brinjals don’t get too mushy.
We can use the same spice powder and use other vegetables like chow chow(Cayote squash), carrot, tindora or okra.

Method:

- Cook the basmati rice fluffy and nicely and keep it ready

- Chop the onion vertically and keep it aside
- Wash and chop the brinjals into small cubes and keep it aside
- Keep a pan in a flame, add brinjals, turmeric and oil and toss well and keep in medium flame and allow it to cook completely and get roasted. Take the roasted and cooked brinjals separately

- Heat another pan, add oil and when the oil is hot, add dals and fry till the dals turn golden brown color. Take it in a mixer. Add sesame seeds, coconut, hing and turmeric and fry till the coconut turns slight golden color