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.
Tips to make vangi bath
- 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.
You may also like these Rice recipes and Brinjal recipes.
More Karnataka Recipes
Tomato bath
Bise bele bath
Akki roti
Nippattu
karnataka style vangi bath recipe
Vangi bath recipe | How to make vangi bath powder | Brinjal rice
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients to make vangi bath
- 2 cups raw rice or uncooked rice
- 3 tbsp Oil or as needed
- 1 small onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 green chili slit or red chili
- 250 grams brinjals or baingan or eggplant (green or purple)
- ¼ cup peanuts or ½ cup green peas
- Lemon juice or 1 tbsp tamarind paste, as needed
- Salt to taste
for tempering
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp mustard seeds or 3 green cardamoms
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera (optional)
- 1 tbsp chana dal (optional)
- ½ tbsp urad dal (optional)
for vangi bath powder or use any ready made 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 or copra (optional, adds flavor and taste)
How to make the recipe
Cooking rice
- Add rice to a pot or cooker. Wash it well at least thrice and pour 4 cups 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.
- If using tamarind rinse and soak it in little water until soft.
- I prefer lemon juice over tamarind so I skip this step.
Making vangi bath powder – Skip if you have powder ready
- Dry roast coriander seeds until crunchy and aromatic. Transfer 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 & 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 blender.
- Set aside the vangi bath powder.
tempering
- Add ¼ tsp salt to a bowl of water. Set this salted water aside.
- Wash brinjals very well and chop off the crowns. Then chop or slice them vertically.
- Keep them in salted water until used to prevent discoloring.
- Pour oil to a hot pan. Add in mustard, cumin, chana dal, urad dal & peanuts.
- Fry them until peanuts turn golden. OR Alternately you can use bay leaf, cardamoms & cumin.
- Fry green chilies and onions (optional) till they turn golden or transparent.
How to make vangi bath
- 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 the brinjals are soft & fork tender.
- If using tamarind add it now. I do not use tamarind.
- 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 if it is too dry. This is optional.
- Switch off the heat, add the cooled rice and squeeze in some lemon juice.
- Make sure the rice is cooled completely before adding it to the vangi mixture.
- Mix up everything well. Taste it & then add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
- Serve vangi bath hot or cold with some papads and curd.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
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.
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
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 the powder.
Making rice
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 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.
How to make brinjal rice or 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.
Suba says
Hi..can I skip cloves and cinnamon?? I hate that flavour..Thank you
swasthi says
Hi Suba,
Yes you can skip
Mahesh Kamat says
Today I tried your vangi bath in a jiffy, with my friends turned out just saying ‘wA’. They asked for recipe, I said follow SWASTHI
swasthi says
Hello Mahesh Kamat,
Thanks a lot! Glad you all liked it.
Rama Munikoti says
Hi Swashti:
I liked the idea of making your own Vangi Bhath Powder,
But your recipe for the powder is a bit confusing : Dania is dry roasted. Right ?
But then you say ” FRY” the Dhals ! do you mean with some oil ?? Frying means using oil. If so , please mention it clearly.
You also use the words Fry and Roast inter changeably in the text.
If we need to use oil, please say so clearly and say how much.
Note : I do not notice the presence of Oil in any of the beautiful photos you have posted !
In the store bought MTR powder we do not seem to notice Oil, It looks pretty dry.
If you use oil to roast to prepare the spice powder , it could go rancid over time. I would not keep the oil-roasted powder in the fridge for more than a week at best.
And it is messy. too!
swasthi says
Hi Rama,
Yes all the ingredients are dry roasted here. I always dry roast the ingredients and lentils while making any spice powders. This not only increases the shelf life but also helps to make a fine powder in mixer. Ingredients roasted in oil often do not become fine powder. I use the terms roast and fry interchangeably. Hope you like the powder.
🙂
Cleta D'souza says
This is the first time I’ve made any kind of rice and it turned out so good.. Everybody loved it.. It was really amazing.. So glad to have found your website
swasthi says
Hi Cleta D’souza,
Thank you so much! Glad you liked the rice. Hope you enjoy more recipes from here!
🙂
B says
I’d never tried vangi bath before but decided to make it today. Used tamarind instead of lemon juice, didn’t add the chana dal (as I did not have it) and added a bit of hing while frying. It was amazing. Thank you so much!
swasthi says
Welcome B
Glad you liked it. Thank you!
Lalitha says
I tried your vangi bath recipe. Simply superb and the vangi bath from MTR comes no where close to yours. I used green vangi and this turned out amazing. Thank you
swasthi says
Welcome Lalitha
Thank you so much for trying. Yes actually vangi bath is made with green brinjals. I am not accessible to them so I use the regular one.
Nita Jani says
Today I made this vaangi bhaat the first time. It was delicious. I tweaked it a little bcoz I didn’t have lemon or tamarind. But has readymade date tamarind chutney. I added that along with pav bhaji masala instead of vangi bhaat masala. My entire family slurped it all up. And they said it was the best thing ever …thanks so much
swasthi says
Hi Nita,
You are welcome. Thank you so much for sharing the pictures. Turned out yummy! Very glad you liked the recipes.
🙂
Ambika says
under HOW TO MAKE… and Tempering procedure, the words, “ADD 1/4 Tsp WATER to a bowl of Water …and wash does not serve meaning.
please clarify.
swasthi says
Hi Ambika,
Thanks for pointing that. Yes it is supposed to be “1/4 tsp salt” I have corrected it.
GJ says
I made for my wife and kids to surprise them. They loved it. Even our 14 months boy loved it. Thank you so much! You’re blessed with magical hands.
swasthi says
Wow! great! You are welcome.
Happy all of you loved it. Thanks a lot.
🙂
Ravinder Singh says
I tried it first time and turned to be delicious 😋 thank you very much 👍🏼
swasthi says
You are welcome!
CHElla says
VERy very tasty recipe a must try . Thank you so much swathi
swasthi says
Welcome Chella
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
Archana says
Just tried your recipe.. Perfecto!!!!!
swasthi says
Thanks Archana
Deepa says
Hai thank you very much. I learned many food recipes from this blog and still trying new recipes from this.
swasthi says
Welcome Deepa
So glad to know the recipes are useful. Your comment made me happy. Thank you
Sandhya says
I make this first time it turns tasty.Thank you very much.
swasthi says
Welcome Sandhya
Thanks for trying
Meenakshi says
Thank you for the recipe, although you have written raw rice instead of cooked rice in the list of ingredients and haven’t mentioned brinjals at all!
swasthi says
Welcome Meenakshi
Thanks a lot, I updated the post. Yes it is 2 cups raw rice, must be cooked and cooled.