Vangi Bhath | Vaangi Bhaat | Brinjal Rice

Vaangi Bhaath or Vangi Bath or Vangi Bhath (go with your preferred pronunciation and spelling) is a popular recipe from Karnataka and one of my favorite. Vaangi Baath means fried brinjal rice. Basically, you prepare the brinjal palya first (palya in Kannada means side dish or vegetable curry) and then mix the rice with it.  It’s a perfect recipe to prepare on weekdays and also perfect for lunch box or for potlucks.

For this recipe, I went with store bought vaangi baath powder as I ran out of my homemade one. Its summer and perfect time to sundry the ingredients and I need to prepare the powder soon. This powder comes in handy for many recipes. I add it to my dal, Bisi Bele Baath, for vegetables and what not? I always add capsicum (any color) and peanuts to this recipe for additional crunchiness and of course for the flavor too. Also, I added tamarind paste for this recipe but that’s completely optional. I have tried with and without tamarind paste and it equally tastes good. You can substitute brinjal with any other veggies like ivy gourd, chow-chow. You can use leftover rice for this recipe.

I had half of the bharta eggplant and used it for this recipe. But you can use any brinjals. Be it the small ones, or the purple long ones or the big bharta eggplant. This week’s blogging marathon theme is “One Veggie in 3 different ways”. Yesterday I posted the brinjal Kuzhambu recipe and here is the second one with brinjal – vaangi baath and I am serving this with my Tomato-Coconut Raita :-)

Vangi Bhath | Vaangi Bhaat | Brinjal Rice     

A popular recipe from Karnataka – Vaangi Bhaat which is the fried brinjal rice. A perfect potluck and lunch box recipe easy to prepare on weekdays.

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1.5 cups
• Water – 3 cups + ½ cup
• Chopped Eggplant/Brinjal – ~ 2 cups
• Chopped Bell Pepper (any color) – ½ cup
• Shallots – 5
• Vaangi Bhaat Powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
• Ghee – 2 tsps
• Jaggery – a small piece
• Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt – 1.5 tsp
• Peanuts – 3 tbsps
• To Temper:
• Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1 tsp
• Channa Dal – 1 tsp
• Hing – ½ tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Cilantro and Curry leaves to garnish

Prep Work:

• Cook the rice in your preferred way, either in a pressure cooker or rice cooker or open stove top. Make sure the rice is non-sticky and grainy. (For one cup of rice, I used 2 cups of water and I used regular Sona masoori rice for this recipe)
• Chop the shallots and bell pepper.
• Chop the brinjals lengthwise.
• Mix the tamarind paste in ½ cup of water and set aside or soak a small gooseberry sized tamarind in 1 cup of water and extract the juice.

Steps:

• Heat the kadai or pan and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, and hing.
• As they start to splutter add the shallots and cook until they turn translucent.
• Then add the peanuts and bell peppers and fry them for a couple of minutes.
• Now add the curry leaves too and mix well.
• Add the chopped brinjals, turmeric powder, vangi bhaat powder.

• Mix them well and add the tamarind extract. (Not more than ½ cup)
• Add the jaggery piece and cover and cook till the brinjals become semi-tender for about 3 to 4 minutes. (Make sure you don’t overcook, as brinjal might become mushy) As we cook again after removing the lid, a half done stage is perfect.
• Now remove the lid and let ¾ of the water to evaporate and by now brinjals will be soft and tender.

• Turn off the heat and now add the cooked rice. Add the ghee on top and let it sit for few minutes.

• Now slowly mix this and garnish with cilantro.

That’s it. Vaangi Bhaat is ready. Serve with your favorite raita.

Notes:

• Basmati rice can be used instead of raw rice.
• Other veggies like chow-chow, ivy gourd can be used instead of brinjals.
• Tamarind extract is optional.
• Adjust the spices, salt, and jaggery according to your taste.
• Make sure the brinjals don’t get too mushy. Keep an eye on brinjal when cooking.
• While tempering cumin seeds can be added too, or instead of urad dal and channa dal, you can use mustard seeds and cumin seeds alone.

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Vangi Bhath | Vaangi Bhaat | Brinjal Rice

A popular recipe from Karnataka - Vaangi Bhaat which is the fried brinjal rice. A perfect potluck and lunch box recipe easy to prepare on weekdays.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course, Variety Rice

Cuisine: Karnataka Cuisine,, South Indian

Servings: 4

Calories:

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• ▢ Rice - 1.5 cups
• ▢ Water - 3 cups + ½ cup
• ▢ Chopped Eggplant/Brinjal - ~ 2 cups
• ▢ Chopped Bell Pepper any color - ½ cup
• ▢ Shallots - 5
• ▢ Vaangi Bhaat Powder - 1 tbsp
• ▢ Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp
• ▢ Ghee - 2 tsps
• ▢ Jaggery - a small piece
• ▢ Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp optional
• ▢ Salt - 1.5 tsp
• ▢ Peanuts - 3 tbsps

To Temper

• ▢ Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• ▢ Urad Dal - 1 tsp
• ▢ Channa Dal - 1 tsp
• ▢ Hing - ½ tsp
• ▢ Oil - 1 tbsp
• ▢ Cilantro and Curry leaves to garnish

Instructions

Prep Work

• Cook the rice in your preferred way, either in a pressure cooker or rice cooker or open stove top. Make sure the rice is non-sticky and grainy. (For one cup of rice, I used 2 cups of water and I used regular sona masoori rice for this recipe)
• Chop the shallots and bell pepper.
• Chop the brinjals lengthwise.
• Mix the tamarind paste in ½ cup of water and set aside or soak a small goose berry sized tamarind in 1 cup of water and extract the juice.

Steps

• Heat the kadai or pan and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and hing.
• As they start to splutter add the shallots and cook until they turn translucent.
• Then add the peanuts and bell peppers and fry them for couple of minutes.
• Now add the curry leaves too and mix well.
• Add the chopped brinjals, turmeric powder, vangi bhaat powder.
• Mix them well and add the tamarind extract. (Not more than ½ cup)
• Add the jaggery piece and cover and cook till the brinjals become semi-tender for about 3 to 4 minutes. (Make sure your don’t overcook, as brinjal might become mushy) As we cook again after removing the lid, half done stage is perfect.
• Now remove the lid and let ¾ of the water to evaporate and by now brinjals will be soft and tender.
• Turn off the heat and now add the cooked rice. Add the ghee on top and let it sit for few minutes.
• Now slowly mix this and garnish with cilantro.
• That’s it. Vaangi Bhaat is ready. Serve with your favorite raita.

Notes

• Basmati rice can be used instead of raw rice.
• Other veggies like chow-chow, ivy gourd can be used instead of brinjals.
• Tamarind extract is optional.
• Adjust the spices, salt, and jaggery according to your taste.
• Make sure the brinjals don’t get too mushy. Keep an eye on brinjal when cooking.
• While tempering cumin seeds can be added too, or instead of urad dal and channa dal, you can use mustard seeds and cumin seeds alone.

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen

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PS:

• Sending this recipe for the 3-week blogging marathon. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#65.