Vangi Bath Recipe with Homemade Powder
Updated: August 6, 2022, By Swasthi
Vangi bath recipe with homemade vangi bath powder. Vangi bath is a popular rice dish from Karnataka cuisine. The term vangi translates to brinjals or egg plant and bhath means cooking together. Vangi bath is a flavorful dish made with brinjals, spice powder, spices & herbs. It is very easy to make & barely takes 10 to 15 mins if you have the cooked white rice ready.
Vangi bath is very popular among the vegetarian community and is made without onion & garlic. Generally it is made with green young brinjals however you can use whatever you have in hand.
To make vangi bath, first brinjals are sauteed in tempering spices and then soft cooked. Then seasoned with spice powder called as vangi bath powder. Lastly it is finished off by mixing it with precooked rice.
There are many brands selling ready vangi bath powder. I have only tried using MTR which is well known for spice powders in the market.
However my today’s recipe is along with the homemade vangi bath powder which can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for few months.
There are numerous ways to make vangi bath. This recipe comes from our Hassan based chef, who used to cook for us during our stay in Bangalore. I have tasted other versions too and but love this version as it is flavorful, delicious and hot.
The vangi bath powder tastes almost like the MTR powder. But MTR doesn’t use channa dal, which I use since I feel it gives an extra flavor. I usually make this when I have few brinjals left and they are not enough to make any side dish.
You may also like these Rice recipes and Brinjal recipes.
More Karnataka Recipes
Tomato bath
Bise bele bath
Akki roti
Nippattu
Photo Guide
How to Make Vangi Bath (Stepwise Photos)
Make Vangi Bath Powder
Skip this section if using ready made powder.
1. Dry roast coriander seeds until aromatic. Transfer to a plate.
2. Fry the dals until half done.
3. Then add red chilies and roast until the lentils turn golden.
4. Next put in the cloves, cinnamon, methi and cumin. Roast for 2 mins until the methi seeds turn fragrant. Switch off the stove. You can skip methi seeds but they add aroma to the powder.
5. Cool the ingredients and add to a blender jar.
6. Make a fine powder.
This powder can be used for 2 to 2.5 cups raw rice that serves 4 to 5 people. If you are making only 2 servings, you can scale down the ingredients for the powder.
Make Rice
1. Wash and cook rice al dente in the usual way.
2. Rice must be grainy and not mushy or sticky. Cool completely.
Temper
1. Wash and cut brinjals. Next add them to a bowl of slightly salted water. Set this aside.
2. Next heat oil in a wide heavy bottom pan. Add mustard, cumin, peanuts, chana dal and urad dal. Fry until they turn golden. I went ahead using cumin, bay leaf and cardamoms.
3. Using onions is optional. Add green chili and onions. Then fry till they turn translucent.
4. Transfer brinjals and green peas. Then sprinkle salt. Fry for 2 to 3 mins.
5. Cover and cook till the brinjals are done completely.
6. Add the spice powder and tamarind paste (or use lemon juice at the end, last step)
Make Vangi Bath
7. Mix well. Fry the entire mixture till you get a nice aroma.
8. If you like slightly moist rice, you can sprinkle 2 tbsp water. Then saute for 2 minutes. The mixture turns moist. This step is optional.
9. Next add rice and lemon juice as well. I also prefer a bit of ghee or oil. Mix well. Adjust salt as needed.
Garnish brinjal rice with coriander leaves.
Serve vangi bath with papad and raita.
Pro Tips
- Usually short grain rice – sona masuri is used to make vangi bath. However you can use any variety of rice you have in hand. When I made this rice I did not have sona masuri so I made with basmati rice.
- I have used purple brinjals but actually green brinjals are used to make this dish. So choose whatever you have in hand.
- The key to flavorful dish is the spice powder. So you can either make the powder from my recipe card below or use store bought powder.
- Vangi bath served in karnataka tiffin centers has peanuts & coconut. In some regions, I have seen green peas are used in place of peanuts. So feel free to use what ever you like. You can skip coconut if you do not have.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Vangi Bath Recipe With Homemade Powder
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 cups raw rice /uncooked rice
- 3 tablespoons Oil or as needed
- 1 small onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 green chili slit or red chili
- 250 grams brinjals (eggplants, green or purple)
- ½ cup green peas (frozen or fresh boiled) or ¼ cup roasted peanuts
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Lemon juice or 1 tbsp tamarind paste or tamarind soaked in water, as needed
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
To Temper
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds or 3 green cardamoms
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera, optional)
- 1 tablespoon chana dal (optional)
- ½ tablespoon urad dal (optional)
For vangi bath powder or use any ready made powder
- 4 to 5 red chilies
- 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds (daniya)
- 1 tablespoon channa dal (bengal gram)
- ½ tablespoon urad dal (skinned black gram)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds, optional)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 1 tablespoon Dry coconut (copra, optional, adds flavor and taste)
Instructions
Cook Rice
- Add rice to a pot or cooker. Wash it well at least thrice and pour water.
- Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles. If using basmati rice then just cook for 1 whistle. (refer notes for details) Do not make the rice mushy. Fluff up the rice and cool this completely.
Make vangi bath powder – Skip if you have powder ready
- Dry roast coriander seeds until crunchy and aromatic. Transfer them to a plate.
- On a medium to low heat, toast chana dal, urad dal and red chilies until the dal turns golden & aromatic. Lastly add methi, cumin, cloves, and cinnamon. Saute till the methi seeds turn aromatic.
- Cool all these completely. Powder them finely in a mixer or grinder.
How to Make Vangi Bath
- Add ¼ tsp salt to a bowl of water. Wash brinjals, chop & discard the crowns. Dice them and add to the salted water.
- Pour oil to a hot pan. Add in mustard, cumin, chana dal and urad dal.
- Fry them until the lentils turn golden. Add the curry leaves, green chilies and onions. Saute till they turn golden or transparent.
- Add chopped brinjal, green peas if using and sprinkle salt, turmeric. Fry them for 2 to 3 minutes stirring often. Cook covered on a low to medium heat until fork tender. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of water.
- Add vangi bath powder and saute till it begins to smell good. Stir in the tamarind and a few tablespoons of water if the mixture is too dry. Cook for 1 minute and turn off.
- Add the cooled rice and squeeze in some lemon juice (if not using tamarind). Mix well to coat the rice with vangi bath masala. Taste test and adjust salt or lemon juice to preference.
- Garnish with roasted peanuts if you want. Serve vangi bath hot with some papads and yogurt.
Notes
- Usually sona masuri rice is used. However you can use any rice. I have used basmati rice. Just make sure you use water just as needed to cook the rice al dente. Rice should not be mushy.
- If using Mtr powder, please use as needed. The spice levels in the mtr pack differs from country to country.
- You can choose any variety of brinjal – purple or green. But tender brinjal will taste better.
- You can halve the recipe and make 2 servings.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Delicious Vangi bath. I make it all the time with long brinjal. Very tasty
Ingredients are bit confusing, I think you forgot to add tamarind to it
Hi Tej,
I used lemon juice at the end (as a substitute to tamarind). If you want add 1 tablespoon tamarind paste to the pan at the time of adding the vangi bath powder. I will update the post. Hope this clears
Hi, love your recipes. What would I serve Vangi bhat with?
Hi Deepa,
Thank you. It is best with yogurt based side dishes like raita and papad. I would go with onion raita or mixed vegetable raita.
I’m a Maharashtrian moved into a South Indian family, preparing vangi Bhat following u since last 3years and this is mine and all family members favourite recipe till date! They enjoy it every time I prepare it and all credits goes to u😊😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you so much Ragini for sharing back! That makes me so happy!
Thanks for the powder recipe. Planning to make all powders at home now
Glad to read that Chandrika
My Indian friend gifted me a homemade Vangibath powder and I would like to make your recipe but I’m unsure how much to use. How much powder should I use for your recipe? I know all vangibath blends will be slightly different so even just a range of amounts would be helpful. Thank you!
Hi Taylor,
Store bought spice blends are usually loaded with red chilies for heat. Most of the packs have the recipe too given on them. You may be able to find a rough amount on the pack. If not start with 1 tablespoon for 2 cups raw rice. Hope this helps.
It isn’t store-bought, she actually made the powder herself. She roasted and grinded all the spices from scratch! I’ll start with 1 Tbsp and see how it goes! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try it!!
This is better than what I had made for many years. Thank you
This is a beautiful recipe and my husband loves it with green peas. Brings back memories of the times we spent in Bangalore and those sagar centers. I have a query. Can this be made in a cooker?
Glad to read this Lakshmi. I don’t suggest in cooker. If you want to make it one pot, use your cooker to make everything one after the other – cook the brinjals with spices and remove to a plate. Then make the rice in the cooker, later mix both.
Fantastic vangi bath and I also love the powder you posted. It is so aromatic and the packed blends don’t come close to this. Have made it so many times.
Thanks Beena. That’s nice to know
Awesome Taste!
Thank you Lilyann
Amazing dish!!
Thank you Prema
Delicious
Thank you
Made vangi bath for the first time, made spice powder as per the recipe here. I am not a great fan of brinjal curries but liked the vangi bath. I always refer your posts for rice items for recipe and measurements and they always turn out tasty. Thank you very much Swasthi garu.
Hello Mahathi
Glad to know! Thank you!
Brilliant recipe and amazing to taste. Tried at home. And everyone loved it!
You are my go to for any recipe or variations, if needed.
All the best keep cooking!!
Hi Aradhana
So glad to know! Thank you so much!
🙂
I love your recepie!! Not only this , the other recipiecies you have posted are also awesome…I follow the proportion exactly what you mention and the outcome is fantastic!! Thank you!
Welcome JC
So happy to know! Thank you!
🙂
Best recipe very different and delicious, thankyou so much !
Welcome Nidhi
Glad you like them! Thank you so much!
Hi, I have been following ur recipes for indian foods, i must say, they helped me a lot.
I have a query about the vangi bath powder., Whats the diff between vangi bath powder and bisibillah bath power???
Hi
Glad to know
The spices used are different. You can find the recipe for bisi bele bath here.
Thank u swasthi for one more tasty recipe. I used to make vangi bhat using goda masala. But today I made it following ur recipe and using using ur recipe of vangi bhat powder. It turned out super delicious ?
Can we use goda masala instead of vanghi masala?
Yes you can use.
I have tried vangibath it was very delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Welcome Satyavati
Glad to know it turned out good.
Hi Swasthi
Once again I must thank you for this amazing receipe…I just loved making it and my family just loved gobbling it all up. This time I followed the ingredients especially in making the powder. And it’s turned soooooo delicious…I just vamped it a little by adding a few fried potatoes bcoz i had less quantity of brinjal. Thanks Swasthi…you r super….
Hi Nita
You are welcome! Glad your family loved it. Nice idea of adding potatoes. Thank you!