🌿 Simple Pleasures: Eggplant Rice, Raita & Chips on a Sunny Afternoon
here’s something deeply comforting about a plate of home-cooked food that doesn’t try too hard—just honest flavors, familiar aromas, and a feeling of “this is exactly what I needed today.”
This afternoon, under the soft golden sun, I found myself craving something quick, soulful, and satisfying. I ended up making this humble with my mom but flavorful eggplant rice, paired with cool cucumber raita and a side of crispy potato chips—a trio that reminded me so much of school tiffin days and weekend lunches at home. My mom made this with me and I recorded this.
The brinjal rice (or vangi bath, as it’s fondly called in many South Indian homes) is one of those dishes that transforms a simple vegetable into something irresistibly aromatic. Sliced brinjals are sautéed with caramelized onions, tossed in a warm, earthy spice blend, and mixed with fluffy basmati rice. A spoonful of homemade or store-bought vangi bath masala does all the heavy lifting.
The raita, just a mix of chilled curd, cucumbers, and a pinch of cumin, adds the perfect cooling contrast to the spiced rice. And those chips? Pure nostalgia. No pretense, just a bit of crunch that makes everything on the plate feel extra special.
What I love about meals like this is how they hit that perfect note between comfort and flavor—quick enough to pull together on a lazy afternoon, but satisfying enough to feel like you’ve treated yourself.
📌 Tip: If you want to save time, pre-make a small batch of the spice powder and store it for future rice dishes—it works beautifully with other veggies too.
Have you tried making brinjal rice before? What’s your go-to nostalgic comfort meal? I’d love to know in the comments!
Ingredients
- For the rice:
• 1 cup basmati rice (or any variety), cooked and cooled
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6–8 small brinjals or one big eggplant chopped finely, carrot chopped finely, peas
• 2 tbsp oil (preferably sesame or sunflower)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 1 medium tomato chopped finely
• Salt to taste - • GHEE to drizzle. Loved this Canadian ghee.
Spice powder (or use ready-made vangi bath powder):
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 4–6 dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
• 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional, fresh or desiccated)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or a small piece of stick)
• 2 cloves
Dry roast these ingredients on medium heat until aromatic and grind to a coarse powder once cooled.
Directions
- 🍳 Method:
1. Cook the rice:
Cook rice with a few drops of oil. Let it cool fully before mixing so it doesn’t get mushy.
2. Prepare the masala powder:
Roast and grind the ingredients listed above (or use store-bought vangi bath powder).
3. Sauté the brinjals:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin, Chana dal, urad dal, hing, and onions. Sauté until golden.
4. Add brinjal:
Add the tomatoes, carrots , peas, brinjal and salt. Cook covered on low-medium heat until soft, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle a little water if needed. It takes good 8-10 mins
5. Add spice powder:
Once the brinjals are cooked, add 2–3 teaspoons of the spice powder and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
6. Mix with rice:
Gently fold in the cooled rice. Adjust salt and spice level as needed. Add a squeeze of lemon juice for freshness (optional). Add curry leaves and coriander leaves to garnish. Drizzle ghee on top. - 🥄 Serving suggestions:
• Pair with raita (like the cucumber one in your image), papad or chips.
• You can add roasted peanuts or cashews on top for extra crunch.
This time, I cut them in half and then made criss cross cuts on each face for masalas to get in. Then stuffed a spice mix made of roasted kashmiri chillies, fennel seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds. It is an extremely easy vegan eggplant recipe. Baby eggplants are absolutely delicious cooked anyway.
