Cauliflower Rice Vangi Bath (Spicy South Indian Eggplant Stir Fry)

This finger-licking spicy, yet healthy version of Vangi Bath recipe is a delicious stir-fry made with cauliflower rice, roasted eggplants, and a special spice mix called Vangi Bath powder. This dish is traditionally made with white rice and called Vangi Bath in Karnataka or Vankai Annamu in Andhra Pradesh.

Traditional vangi bath is eaten with fried chips or fried appalams and dotted with fried cashews, peanuts etc. Nothing wrong with eating healthy fats (I meant the nuts, not the chips); except when this gets coupled with white rice; the entire meal (with chips and maybe dessert) can be deadly on your waist and sugar levels.

But the vangi bath flavor profile is just too fantastic to give up. One can, of course, eat a smaller portion serving. (Borrringgg!!)

Alternatively, you could eat Vangi bath made with cauliflower rice and it is wonderful!!! Every time, I prepared this recipe, my family cleaned out the dishes. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of fresh Vangi Bath spice powder!!

Recipe Breakdown

This recipe has a few parts to it. Follow the steps to prepare the parts and nail this recipe!!

• Prepare the eggplant (either with air fryer or set aside to pan roast)

To chopped eggplant, add oil, turmeric, salt, mix well and add to tray. Air fry the pieces @350 F for about 15 minutes, stirring once in between. When it comes out, it should be cooked well (use a spoon to see if it slices through).

It will be a little dry due to air frying. Soak the air fried eggplant in tamarind water until the tadka is ready.

If you do not have air fry, don’t worry one bit….just pan-roast the eggplant along with tadka during the stir-fry. Totally fine!!

• Prep the Cauliflower rice

Roasting the cauliflower gives it a good caramelized flavor and eliminates the raw, gassy taste.

Now, you can do this easily without an air fryer by easily roasting the cauliflower rice in a dry pan for a few minutes until it reaches a golden brown color.

In this recipe, I placed 4 cups of shredded cauliflower in the air fryer tray @350F for 10 minutes. I open the air fryer once in between to stir the cauliflower rice and ensure uniform roasting.

• Dry roast and grind the spices

Now comes the exciting part!! The famous masala powder!! Now remember – Roast in a medium flame and continuously stir throughout this process. Do not divert your attention for the next five minutes.

Start with chana dal and urad dal since they are thicker than others. Roast for 30 seconds. Add coriander seeds and roast for 2 minutes. Add cinnamon, clove, cardamom, jeera, fenugreek seeds, and roast for 30 seconds. Finally add the Kashmiri chili and Dried Coconut. Roast for 30 seconds. Remove, cool and then powder.

• Finally – It all comes together in a stir fry

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add red chili, hing, curry leaves, and fry. Add the air fried brinjal.

Add prepared masala powder (use all or some based on size and spiciness), jaggery, and required salt. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.

Finally add cauliflower rice. Stir well. Add roasted peanut powder, lemon juice. Serve!!

Done!!

How to prevent getting the texture wrong

In one of my trials, I got a mushy vangi bath result. I speculate 3 possible reasons for this:

1. I tried to stuff a lot of cauliflower while roasting (trying to get rid of the last 1/2 cup instead of storing it for another dish – I swear, I never learn!!). It must have sweated rather than roasted turning the dish soft
2. I let the eggplant get mushy on the pan too long (I tried a non-air fried version)
3. I put the powder and cauliflower rice all at once instead of roasting the spice first and then adding the cauliflower rice.

I just added these theories to help you avoid the same mistake. But, even with the mistakes, the dish tasted great…Say it with me, “that my friends, is the power of vangi bath spice mix)!! [Ok, you can stop your eye-roll now :)].

Recipe

Conclusion

Please don’t be put off by the long list of spice ingredients. They are so worth the time and effort!! I guarentee the roasting of the spices will fill your home with a delicious aroma.

I hope you enjoyed this “Vangi Bath made with Cauliflower Rice” recipe. Do try it and post your thoughts and comments below. I look forward to reading them.

If you are interested in other cauliflower-rice dishes (Indian style), check out:

• Lemon Rice (made with cauliflower rice)
• Coconut Rice (made with cauliflower rice)
• Sesame Rice (made with cauliflower rice)
• Cauliflower Rice Burrito

Stay safe, stay Positive and sending my love to all of you!!

I want to credit Dakshin Bhog by Santhi Balaraman for the base recipe. Personally, I have found her book more useful than the more commonly found Chandra Padmanabhan series. I picked it up during a trip from the Coimbatore airport book store and I love it. The recipes are tasty and straight to the point. My copy is quite dog-eared as of now. Highly recommend!!

Here’s the amazon affiliate link for the Cuisinart Air Fryer I have.