Vangi bath recipe with homemade vangi bath powder. Vangi bath is a unique tasting brinjal rice from Karnataka cuisine. It is popular in South India like tawa pulao in mumbai. It is easy to make as easy as even bachelors can make it. Vangi bath barely takes 10 to 15 mins if you have the cooked white rice ready.
To make vangi bath, tender brinjals or egg plant is cooked to soft and then seasoned with spice powder called as vangi bath powder. There are many brands selling ready 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 so many variations to making 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.
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karnataka style vangi bath recipe
Vangi bath recipe | How to make vangi bath powder | Brinjal rice recipe
Karnataka style vangi bath is spiced rice dish made with brinjals or eggplants and spice powders. This is served without any accompaniment. Plain yogurt, some papads will complement the meal.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
Ingredients to make vangi bath
- 2 cups raw rice or uncooked rice
- 3 tbsp Oil or as needed
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 green chili slit or red chili
- 250 grams brinjals or baingan or eggplant (green or purple)
- ½ cup Green peas or ¼ cup peanuts or cashews (optional)
- Lemon juice or 1 tbsp tamarind paste, as needed
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for tempering
- 1 bay leaf or (or use 10 curry leaves)
- 3 green cardamoms or elaichi (or use ½ tsp mustard)
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 1 tbsp chana dal & urad dal (optional - to use if using curry leaves)
make vangi bath powder or use MTR vangibath powder
- 4 to 5 red chilies
- 2 tbsp Coriander seeds or daniya
- 1 tbsp channa dal or bengal gram
- ½ tbsp urad dal or skinned black gram
- 1 tsp cumin or jeera
- ¼ to ½ tsp methi seeds or fenugreek seeds (optional)
- 4 cloves or laung
- 1 small cinnamon stick or dalchini
- 1 tbsp Dry coconut (optional, adds flavor and taste)
How to make the recipe
Make rice for vangi bath recipe
Wash and cook rice al dente in the usual way.
- Do not make the rice mushy. Cool this completely.
How to make vangi bath powder - Skip if you have powder ready
Dry roast coriander seeds until crunchy and aromatic. Move them to a plate.
Next roast chana dal and urad dal until half done.
- Then add the red chilies and fry until the dal turns golden.
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 blender. Set aside the vangi powder.
Make tempering for vangi bath
Wash and chop or slice brinjals vertically. Keep them in salted water until used to prevent discoloring.
Pour oil to a hot pan.
Add in cumin, cardamoms and bay leaf. Or you can add in cumin, mustard, chana dal, urad dal and peanuts. Saute till they sizzle and the nuts turn golden.
- Fry green chilies and onions till they turn golden or transparent.
How to make vangi bath
- Add chopped brinjal, green peas and sprinkle salt, turmeric. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cook covered until the brinjals are soft cooked.
- Time to add in the vangi bath powder and fry till it begins to smell good. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 tbsp. water to make the mixture moist. This is optional.
- Switch off the heat, add rice and lemon juice.
- Mix up everything well, adjust salt and lemon juice.
Serve vangi bath hot or cold with some papads and curd.
Recipe Notes
Recipe notes for vangi bath
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.
How to 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 vangi bath powder.
Making rice for brinjal rice or vangi bath
1. Wash and cook rice al dente in the usual way.
2. Rice must be grainy and not mushy or sticky. Cool completely.
How to make vangi bath
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 cumin, bay leaf and cardamoms and sauté for a min.
or add mustard, cumin, peanuts, chana dal and urad dal. Fry until they turn golden.
3. 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.
How to make brinjal rice or vangi bath recipe
8. Mix well. Fry till you get a nice aroma. 
9. 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.
7. 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.
CHElla says
VERy very tasty recipe a must try . Thank you so much swathi
SK says
Today I prepared Vangi bath and it turned out very delicious. Whenever I prepare Vangi bath ,I tend to use tamarind paste. But today I used lemon instead. And I liked the flavours of Vangi bath powder. Loved the combination of peas and onions to it. I am sticking to this recipe from now on 😊. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe.
swasthi says
Welcome Sk
Thanks for trying & the comment too. Yes lemon juice makes vangi bath taste good.
🙂
Divya says
Yummy
Siri says
kids hated but i loved
swasthi says
Hi Siri,
Yes you can expect that from kids. Most kids don’t like brinjal even mine don’t.
🙂
Pamela says
these look like just the kind of foods I would like make, however your organization of the recipe needs help. Please group all ingredients followed by the instruction for each element, as a copy and paste doesn’t get the job done. I don’t see where the “spices for seasonings” go. I’ve made Indian recipes many times and can probably figure this out but really just want to put the whole thing into a word doc and get on with cooking! Thank you for receiving my well intentioned input.
swasthi says
Hi Pamela,
Thank you so much. I will reorganize the ingredients and instructions with appropriate titles.
Padmavathy Nayak says
I use this vangibath powder for making capsicum rice and as masala for beans, potato and carrot sabji as non likes vangibath in my house. Thank you.
swasthi says
You are welcome Padmavathy
Thanks for trying the recipes.
Tiya says
Hey swasthi!
This was amazing. Yummy rice. Everyone loved it at home.
Kadimisetty Madhavi says
Vangi bath super thanks for sharing
swasthi says
You are welcome Madhavi
🙂
Kadimisetty Madhavi says
Today I tried Vangi bath it came out very well thanks for sharing the recipe
swasthi says
You are welcome Madhavi
Thanks for trying