Vangi Bath

5 from 8 votes

Vangi Bath is a delicious south Indian dish of rice cooked with butter-soft eggplants or brinjals. A simple masala blend made with lentils, peanuts, coconut and curry leaves adds flavor.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Lunch/Dinner, Snack/Tiffin

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Saucepan
Large skillet or Dutch oven

Ingredients

3 cups cooked basmati rice
2 teaspoon coconut oil (divided)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 pound eggplants (Cut into a small, 1-cm dice. Try and use thin-skinned Japanese, Indian or Chinese varieties. You can use the Italian eggplant with acceptable results, but it shouldn't be your first choice).
¼ cup peanuts (pounded or processed to a coarse powder. You can leave some larger pieces in for texture. Leave out the peanuts if nut-free.)
Salt to taste

For the blended masala

2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon urad dal (black gram dal)
1 tablespoon chana dal (Bengal gram dal)
2 dry red chili peppers (use only one if sensitive to heat)
½ teaspoon turmeric (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil. Add the masala ingredients to the skillet (except the turmeric). Roast over low to medium low heat until the ingredients are a few shades darker and very fragrant, about five minutes.
Remove the masala ingredients to a dish lined with a paper towel. Press on them with the paper towel to absorb any oil. Once cool, place them in a spice grinder or blender with the turmeric, if using, and blend into a powder. Set aside.
Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they sputter, add the curry leaves and saute them a minute or two until they begin to look crispy.
Add the eggplants along with a teaspoon of salt. Stir to mix, then cover the skillet with a lid, turn the heat to low or medium low, and let the eggplants cook about 5-10 minutes until they are really tender. Stir them several times while cooking to make sure they are not sticking.
Once the eggplants are cooked, stir in the peanut powder and saute another couple of minutes. Then add the cooked rice and the blended spice powder.
Mix everything well but use a light touch so you don't end up mashing the rice --the grains should remain separate. Check salt and add more if needed.
Garnish with cilantro and grated coconut, if using. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

To make this recipe with brown rice, just sub the white rice with cooked brown rice. Use basmati brown rice if possible.
If nut-free, leave out the peanuts in the recipe. It'll still be delicious.
If you can't find curry leaves at all, use cilantro, about 2 tbsp, and add it to the skillet at the same time as you would the curry leaves. You can garnish with more cilantro at the end, if you wish.

Nutrition