Vangi-eggplant, bhath-rice is probably one of the most popular rice items in Maharashtra and few places in Karnataka and Andhra. I say few places because it is not very common at my native (which is in Karnataka) but I have seen this a lot in Bangalore. I have seen most of my Andhra friends preparing this dish, so I guess it is popular there also. But the Marathi name suggests it might be originally from Maharashtra.
Everybody has their own spice mixture for this dish. I always used the store bought “Vangi bhath masala” and prepared this. But when I tasted my friend Poornima‘s Vangi bhath, I just loved it (considering I am not a big fan of eggplants). Few days back I asked her for the recipe along with the “Vangi bhath masala” and prepared it. Now I prepare it once in a week for lunch. I have prepared a big batch of masala and making the vangi bhath with ready masala takes hardly 15-20mins. I have become a huge fan of this dish now.
Have a look at the methods followed by few of my food blogger friends: Manisha, Vineela, Mandira, Pavani, Asha.
Vangi bhath masala:
Chana dal 1 tbl spn
Urad dal 1 tbl spn
Moong daal(yellow) 1 tbl spn
Coriander seeds 3/4 tbl spn
Cumin seeds 1/2 tea spn
Cinnamon 2″ piece
Cloves 5-6
Red chilies 7-8
Oil 1/4 tea spn
Roast all the spices (except chilies and cloves) one by one on a very low flame till they leave a nice aroma.
Heat oil and fry the cloves. Take out and in the same vessel, fry the chilies a bit. Powder them all. Store in an air tight container.
PS: According to the original recipe given by Poornima, the masala includes “Moggu” – which looks similar to cloves but slightly bigger than that. I tried searching for it in the Indian store, but could not find it. I don’t even know the English name of this spice, so I replaced it with cloves.
She uses different kinds of chilies, some for the color and some for the spicy taste. I had only Byadagi chilies (a variety available in Karnataka). So I just tried with these chillies. You can increase or decrease the amount after trying the vangi bhath yourself.
Vangi bhath Ingredients:
Pea nuts 1 tbl spn
Chana dal 1 tbl spn
Mustard seeds 1/2 tea spn
Curry leaves 4-5
Green chilies 1-2
Onion(chopped) 1/2 cup
Eggplant(thin long ones) 1-2
Tamarind extract 1/4 tea spn
Vangi bhath masala 2 tea spns
Turmeric powder a pinch
Shredded dry coconut 1 tbl spn
Rice 1 cup
Lemon juice 1 tbl spn
Oil
Salt
I have cut the eggplants into small thin pieces to suit my taste (this is what I understood from the description given by my friend).
Be careful about the Lemon juice – tamarind. Since both are souring agents, use them carefully.
Method:
Cook the rice and keep aside. Take care not to over cook the rice, otherwise it gets mashed after mixing with the spices.
Cut the eggplants into desired shapes. Keep the pieces in water. Before using, discard the water.
Heat oil and fry peanuts. Take them out. Add chana dal, fry and take out.
Heat remaining oil (take slightly more oil, say around 1 tbl spn) and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves and fry for sometime. Add green chilies, onion and fry till the onions turn slightly brownish. Add eggplant pieces and fry for sometime. If required, sprinkle very little water, close the lid and cook. When the eggplants are done, add tamarind, salt, vangi bhath masala, turmeric powder, dry coconut and mix well. Take off the heat.
Add rice, lemon juice, fried peanuts and chana dal and mix well.
(Do not garnish with coriander leaves).
Serves :2
Preparation time : 20mins
Shakari, star anise is available in Indian store here. But from her description, I thought it is something else :(. I will ask again.
Thanks for asking me. I really appreciate it.
shilpa , moggu is star anise. It is easily available in Indian stores and in the international aisle in regular supermarkets. Let me know and I can mail some to you
Hey Shilpa, do you read minds ? 🙂
Today I made stuffed brinjal(enagayi).And saved few brinjals to make vaangi bhath.I will be using the readymade powder.But will follow the rest as per your recipe this time.Thanks for posting it.
Lovely vaangi bhat. Thanks for sharing
Shilpa….I always prepared Vangi Bhath using the MTR powder. I had three packets of the same when i came from India and distributed the same to neighbour Indians as my Vangi bath was never upto the mark. But abt 2 months ago, i somehow got it right for the first time (exactly as you mentioned) and followed the same method regularly. Now i prepare it at least once in a week. Easy to make right. I sometimes use the excess left over rice. Thanks for sharing the recipe and a big thanks on how to make the powder.
You have some of the best recipes….you’re very creative! I love visiting your site. The Vangi bhaath looks so good!
Cheers,Trupti
as usual,i missed three of ur previous posts and here i am..i just loved ur jackfruit leaves idlis and burfi. vangi bath is a real comfort food that u can make in a hurry if u have a good quality masala in hand.thanks for all that lovely recipes shilpa..sorry for puting all comments together.
Shilpa,
Your friend might be referring to this spice:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropfactsheets/caper.html#Culinary%20Uses
Kay of “Towards a better tomorrow” mentions it in her blog http://towardsabettertomorrow.blogspot.com/2005/12/chicken-biryani-novel-feast.html
Shankari, Star Anise is also called Anaasi Moggu in Tamil/Telugu
Shilpa, this sounds super! I love eggplant. I made Vineela’s vangi bhath and that was delicious — will try this one next, thanks 🙂
PS You do a fabulous job marketing 😉
Yummy…..looks tasty….
And why should we not garnish with corriander leaves??
Thanks Faffer, Linda :).
Varsha, My friend told me that Vangi bhath does not go well with coriander leaves. So I mentioned it here.
Hi Shilpa,
This is one great recipe…..simple and yummy!! I just cut down on tamarind & used only lime juice, loved it. Thanks again. 🙂
Hi Shilpa,
This is a very good recipe, and i liked the way you have presented all the recipes. Do we get byadagi chillies in any of the Indian stores here?
Roopa
Hi Shilpa, U R doing a great job. U may try this recipe with capsicum in place of vangi. Capsicum fried in oil gives a great flavour. Try Deepa
Hi,
This receipe is delicious..
Earlier i wont like egg plant much.
But now, i started loving vaangi bhath much.
Awesome.. It turned out sooo good! Thx 🙂
Hi,
I always wanted to try vaangi baath but i had no clue how to make it. Thanks for your wonderful simple recipe.
I am definitely going to try this one.
Will it be fine if I don’t use shredded coconut for vaangi baath?
Shilpa: Viniba, I haven’t tried it without coconut. But I think it should be fine.
Can I try with other variety of brinjal instead of the long one? I referred many sites, everywhere it is mentioned to use the long one. Pl guide
Shilpa: Yes Radha. You can use any. I have tried this with other kinds of brinjals too, it tastes great. You can even make it with capsicum(instead of brinjal), it wont be called vangi bhath then but tastes great.
This vangi bath is yummy. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.
Hey Shilpa stumbled across your site while searching a recipe for vangi bhat. I am going to try your recipe and would like to link your post in my blog. Hope that is okay. let me know if you feel otherwise. Thanks for sharing the recipe
-Aparna
Hi! Shilpa,
Marathi Moggu in English is: Kapok Buds. In Hindi, it is called: Shalmali, Semul and in Marathi: Saanvari, Saura.
Sometimes called Caper Buds (I am not sure if I spelt it right)
This particular spice enhances the taste and it is definitely different from cloves. Try it out.
Shankari, Star anise is different, though its from the same family of plant – “Magnoliophyta”.
tell me the kannada name for eggplant
Shilpa: Badnekayi
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I am gujarati, but spent some time in Banaglore,and have aquired test for south indian food. I made vangi bhat from your recipe this evening and it turned out just the way I remembered. My husband loved it to. Thank You again for sharing it.
The recipe sounds good you have given forVangi Bhath.. Try a variation I have tried and all my friends and family love and appreciate it.
If you do not have Vangi bhath powder, use your sambhar powder with 1-2tspn of coriander powder.
Another variation includes Add capsicum after you half cook brinjals.
My way is I completely cook the brinjals and capsicum in like coarse paste kind and add dry cocunut powder instead of fresh almost at the end of simmering.
Rest of the recipe is quite similar to what you said.
All try it and let know your comments
You have given a beautiful recipe for Vangi bath.But you have not given the recipe for vangi bath masala which has to be added after the eggplants have been cooked.please give that recipe also which will be more useful to readers.
Shilpa: Please read the post properly. I have posted the recipe for masala also.
Shilpa, You are right this dish simply is the best !! . I just made it y’day & it turned out delicious. It will be a regular at mealtimes from now. Thanks to you & Poornima.
the recipe is really good. i tried it by frying washed and soaked rice along with eggplant,it came out nice.It also can be tried by mixing prepared masala with fresh coconut,tamarind pulp and salt and stuffed it in the small round eggplants and then cooked.
thank you.
Dear Aayi,
This recipe looks very good. I will definitely try it out.
susaan
hey,
i tried out this vangibath and it came out really superb……. i recommend al the other visiting this site to surelly try it … it is really the best vagibath tat i hav ever tasted ……………..thank you
My mum used to add dried rose buds (for fragnace). The aroma that fills the kitchen is just fantastic…Maybe that’s the moggu you friend is referring to.
Cheers,
Vijay.
shilpa realy all your recipies are very good.i usually prepare vangibath in other way without onions and green chillies and i add dry coconut in vangibath powder with other ingredients.i tried this recipe it is very tasty.thank you.
hi! MOGGU is not aniseed but, its literally like a bud which is why the name..its called marathi moggu rather.dont know the english name of it though..
hi shilpa
great recipe indeed….!!!!!!!
After a slightly disastrous vangibaath, i was searching for a good recipes n here im. this does sound very delicious.
gonna try this next time.
and i think i have the answer for ur moggu qn. and i also think that u might have known the answer by now. Ofcourse, im answering it after 4 years.
the following link has got e.th……
http://veggieplatter.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-kitchen-maratha-moggu.html
n hey, im the first to msg in 2010……n that too with a answer 😉
Too awesome.
Thanx a lot shilpa for this superb recipe.