Vangibaath is a dish from the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a spiced rice dish made primarily with eggplant, and a special spice mix (masala). I learned this recipe from my very first friend in the US, Usha. When my babies were, well, babies, we used to spend a lot of time with Usha and her husband Shivu. They adopted our young family as their own. There was a lot of cooking that happened. As a delicious result, my cooking has been influenced by Usha's karnataka style cooking quite a bit, and I still, after 20+ years, make a lot of dishes I learned from her. This is one of them.
This is the masala powder that is added to cooked rice and eggplant/brinjal. I also learned to use this powder with other vegetable+rice combos such as green pepper, and cauliflower.
Anyway, this powder, though readily available in most Indian grocery stores, tastes best when made fresh at home, and it doesn't take a long time to make. I make it in small quantities whenever I need, but you can make it in small batches and store in the refrigerator.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 10 mins cooling time |
| Servings |
tbsp
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Urad dhal
- 2 tbsp chana dhal/bengal gram
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds/dhania
- 6 red chilies
- 4 cloves lavang
- 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 4 pieces marathi moggu I got this from India, omit if you don't have, but try to get some
- 1 tsp oil to roast the spices
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium sized pan; gather all the ingredients
- When hot, add the cloves, and cinnamon and fry until fragrant
- Add the marathi moggu and fry. This spice is hard to find in the US, but I feel adds a wonderful flavor to the dish. Try to get it, if not can be omitted
- Remove the spices to a plate to cool
- In the same pan, in the remaining oil, add the dals and toast until reddish, taking care not to burn
- Add the coriander seeds, and toast for a couple of minutes
- Finally switch off the heat, and add the chilies, and toast everything together; remove to plate to cool
- When cool, powder and store in a clean dry container until ready to use
Recipe Notes
As in most recipes, I eyeball all of the measures. So adjust the spices to your liking/preference when you make this!
Etymology
I believe Vangi/vangan means eggplant in marathi which is the language spoken in the state of Maharashtra, so I am not sure why a dish from Kannada cuisine would be called Vangi bath. Well whatever its origin, this is one delicious recipe!
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