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Vaangi Bhath with Foxtail Millet

This dish, traditionally a rice & eggplant dish made using freshly ground spices, is made a little healthier by using Foxtail Millet. Also experimenting with an organic ready spice mix for Vangi Bhath here.
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine south indian
Servings 3 serving

Ingredients
  

  • 250 - 300 grams eggplants small sized
  • 2 tsps cooking oil
  • 1/2 cup spring onions finely sliced ,
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3/4 cup millet foxtail scant
  • 2 tsps masala vaangi baath
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste

for tempering

  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 tbsps peanuts raw
  • 2 chillies dried red
  • 1 pinch asafoetida

Instructions
 

  • Slice off the stems of the eggplant. Cut into quarters and keep in a bowl filled with salted water, until ready to use.
  • Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan / kadai.
  • Squeeze out the cut eggplant and add to kadai. Stir on high flame for a minute or so. Add the finely sliced spring onions.
  • Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, sprinkle some water and cover and cook until the eggplants are cooked. This will take around 8-10 minutes depending on the variety of eggplant.
  • How to cook foxtail millets: Heat water in a pressure cooker. In a utensil that fits in the cooker, place the millets, wash once, add double the quantity of water, 1/2 tsp salt, few drops of oil and pressure cook for two whistles. Remove the vessel when the cooker is cool enough to be opened. Transfer cooked millets to a large dish and spread it out, allowing it to cool a bit. This ensures that each grain is separate.
  • Coming back to the eggplant, add 1 tsp ready tamarind paste to the nearly cooked eggplants and 3-4 tsp of water, stir on medium flame to combine well.
  • To this add the vaangi bhath masala and stir to combine.
  • Add the cooked millets to this and stir gently to combine everything together. Adjust seasoning if required.
  • For the tempering, heat the oil in a small tempering ladle or pan. Add the peanut and allow them to turn golden brown and crisp. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chilli and asafoetida. Once mustard splutters, add it over the millets.

Notes

You can try the same recipe with any of the alternate grains, which are good substitutes for white rice - brown rice, broken wheat, pearl millets or quinoa.
Check my video on 4 alternatives to white rice.
This post is in collaboration with Phalada Agro - the product used is their Organic Vaangi Baath Masala. You can find them on Facebook. You can shop their products from Pureandsure.in
You may also like this Capsicum Bhath recipe, where the spices are freshly ground.