Vaangi Bhat
A smoky and nutty, spiced eggplant and rice dish.
Ingredients
- 350 g purple, baby eggplants, stalks trimmed, cut into, 4 quarters, lengthwise (boat-shaped wedges)
- 250 g rice
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tbsp black mustard seeds
- 2 dried red chilles
- ½ tbsp chana dal (split chickpea lentils), rinsed and drained
- ½ tbsp urad dhuli dal (skinless split black gram lentils) rinsed and drained
- 10 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp asafoetida powder or hing
- 2 tbsp til or gingelly oil (not toasted sesame oil used in Asian cuisine) or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tbsp roasted, skinned peanuts (groundnuts)
- Salt
For the ground masala
- ½ copra grated
- 2 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 4 dried red chillies
- 2 tbsp chana dal (split chickpea lentils), rinsed and drained
- 1 1-inch piece of cinnamon
- 2-3 cloves
Instructions
- Cook the rice, drain, gently loosen any clumps and spread the grains on a wide plate to dry-up any extra water.
- To make the ground masala (spice), gently toast the grated copra and chana dal for a couple of minutes in a dry pan. When they're lightly golden, add the remaining spices and toast for a further 30 seconds. Cool and pound to a coarse powder in a mortar or grind in a mixer/spice grinder.
- Heat oil in a wok or wide pan and when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, both dals, red chillies and curry leaves and allow them to crackle. Add the asafoetida.
- Drop in the eggplants and turmeric and fry/cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes till the eggplants are lightly browned and cooked but not mushy.
- Add salt, put in the powdered masala, fry for a minute, toss in the peanuts, then mix in the cooked rice. Ensure that the eggplant-spice mixture coats the rice and is evenly mixed. Stir fry the rice for a couple of minutes, mix in the chopped coriander and serve the vaangi bhat.