Vangi Bath
Submitted by goodnight
Vangi bath: South Indian rice dish with eggplant, toasted coconut, and a fresh-ground spice blend of coriander, urad dal, dried chiles, cinnamon, and hing. Vegetarian one-pot from Karnataka.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1 hrsVangi bath is a Karnataka classic where rice takes on the character of a South Indian masala paste. Everything is toasted, ground fresh, and layered into cooked basmati with cubes of lemon-soaked eggplant. The name translates roughly to “eggplant rice."
The spice powder is the soul of the dish. Coriander seeds, urad dal, dried red chiles, a small stick of cinnamon, and a pinch of hing (asafoetida) are fried in oil until they darken and smell toasty, then blended with pan-browned coconut into a coarse powder. Store-bought vangi bath powder works, but fresh is noticeably sharper.
Lemon juice soaking cubed eggplant for thirty minutes draws out bitterness and keeps the flesh from turning brown during cooking. That same lemon juice becomes the acidity that brightens the rice at the end.
Fluffy basmati rice matters here. Cook it on the drier side so the grains stay separate when they meet the spice paste and eggplant. Sticky rice turns this dish into mush.
Serve with a cooling yogurt raita or pachadi. The contrast between hot spiced rice and cold yogurt is the whole point.
Pro Tips
- Toast the coconut in the same pan as the spices (but separately) so it browns evenly. Stir constantly, coconut burns fast.
- Fry the eggplant only to three-quarters done. It finishes cooking when folded into the hot rice, so it stays firm instead of collapsing.
- A pinch of hing is a must. It is what makes this taste unmistakably South Indian.
- Taste, adjust with salt and a squeeze more lemon at the end. Vangi bath wants a real punch of acid.
Variations
- Use short Japanese or Indian eggplants for firmer cubes with less water.
- Add a tablespoon of tamarind pulp with the lemon juice for a more traditional pucker.
- Temper a tablespoon of mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee and stir through at the end for extra fragrance.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the rice the usual way - but to get it dry, fluffy and light (not at all sticky).
Skin the eggplant and chop it into cubes; sprinkle lemon juice on the cubes (+ some salt) and let sit for 30 minutes or so.
In a large saucepan, heat some oil and when hot, toss the spices in and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the color has changed to dark, use a slotted spoon and toss the contents into a plate lined with a paper napkin (this will drain out the oil sticking to the spices).
Add some oil to the pan and when hot, toss the coconut in and keep stirring until the coconut becomes brown/golden.
Remove in a manner similar to the spices.
To the pan, add some oil and when hot, add the soaked eggplant cubes and stir until about ¾ cooked.
Remove the eggplant and keep in a warm container.
In a blender (or coffee grinder), blend the spices and coconut until you have a powder.
In a pot, boil one-quarter cup water, lots of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon turmeric and some salt.
Into the cooked rice, toss the contents of the pot and stir.
The rice should take on the color of the turmeric.
Now, add the contents of the blender.
The rice should take the color of the spice-mix and here and there, you can see a glimpse of the yellow turmeric color.
Squeeze lemon onto the eggplant; let sit for 1 to 2 minutes; toss the eggplant into the rice and stir.
Taste a bit; if you need salt, add.
If you feel something is missing, squeeze some lemon, stir and repeat.
(You may choose to add some salt that way too).
Vangi bath is ready.
Serve with yogurt raita/pachadi.
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