Vangi Bath - Brinjal Rice with green brinjals

I started growing the small long green egg plants to get some diversity in the egg plant varieties as I usually grow only the purple ones. These long green eggplants are no less, they are nice and creamy when cooked and works great in a vangi bath. It cooks quickly and maintains its shape. All Bangloreans I know, friends and family are in agreement that these eggplants are the ones that are good in vangi bath.

A friend from Bangalore gave me some home made vangi bath powder so there was no excuse to postpone making it the authentic way. I have a version here where I sauteed the brinjals in the spice, add water and cook it in them. But the method in this recipe is far more tastier.

Here is the recipe in pictures,

Wash and set the rice to cook by adding salt and a bit of oil.
In a wide mouthed pan, heat oil and add seasonings followed by the onion and chilies.
Once the onions are sauteed add the cut brinjals and saute till they are almost cooked.
Add in the tomatoes and cook till they are mushy. Add the vangi bath powder and mix it in.
Let the masala be well coated on to the brinjals. Fluff up the cooked rice.
Now add the rice into the masala and mix gently so al the rice is coated nicely.

Vangi Bath
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup of Surti Kolam Rice or Basmati Rice
2. 3 cups of sliced eggplant about 1 - 1 1/2 inch piece
3. 1/2 cup of chopped red onions
4. 4-5 slit fresh green or red chilies
5. 5 small ripe tomatoes chopped
6. 1 tbsp vangi bath powder
7. seasonings: curry leaves, mustard seeds and 2 tsp split urad dal
8. salt to taste
9. 1 tbsp oil

Method

1. Cook the rice with salt and about 1/2 tbsp of the oil and set aside to cool. I used an Instant Pot and cooked for 10 minutes. Fluff and set aside.
2. In a wide mouthed pan, heat oil and add split urad dal and roast till slightly brown, then add mustard and wait for it to pop.
3. Add in the onions and chilies and saute till the onions are translucent.
4. Add in the sliced brinjal and saute till the brinjals get soft and are almost cooked.
5. Add in the tomatoes and cook till they are mushy and coated on the brinjal.
6. Add the vangi bath powder and mix well and salt, since the rice also has salt be watchful. Add a bit more oil if needed and turn off the heat.
7. Now add in the cooked rice and mix it in gently. Use cutting motion which prevents the rice from getting mushy. The rice should be well coated with the masala.

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Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate chips and Nuts

Even a news junky like myself cannot stand the news these days. The sound of Trump's nauseating voice just make me depressed and wondering... If there are any Trump fans out there don't worry I am an equal opportunity hater as far as politicians are concerned. Obama did not make me any less depressed! So there.

But one thing that got me very curious was this repeated use of the word 'deep state' by Trump himself, his cronies and everyone from the right wing talk world and I start to wonder to myself if it is not Trump and his myriad of corrupt cronies who could this word actually be referring to? Helpfully enough there was an article in the Washington Post by the person who popularized the word 'deep state' and about what this word actually means. It is not what Trump would like us to believe, that is there is a shadowy cabal of bureaucrats plotting his downfall. Instead this word means 'corporate power' and 'moneyed influencers'. There that actually makes sense. So in this confusion between truth and fiction Trump thrives.
The original essay - Anatomy of the Deep State.

Pumpkin had been a vegetable that I had always liked, the mildly sweet creamy vegetable was not on the menu often but when it made its appearance it was special. The pumpkins available in the grocery stores here in the US were not as sweet and texture was not creamy as I would have liked. So for the longest time butternut squash filled the void till I started growing pumpkins for myself. I am slowly realizing the versatility of pumpkins. Pumpkins - the icon of Fall is going to be my favorite vegetable for the next couple of months.

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away and given a choice I will make the complete menu with just pumpkin :) I am not a big fan of pumpkin pies, so for this reason I had to find something else to replace the pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving table. I could make this pumpkin halwa and with an Instant Pot an extremely easy dish to make if you have a sweet tooth. But my absolute favorite is the recipe that follows for Pumpkin Bread, the pumpkin makes this bread absolutely moist and delicious.

I steamed pumpkin cubes and mashed them. You could roast the pumpkin too if you wanted. Use unsweetened canned pumpkin puree if you do not have pumpkin. Get your family excited this Thanksgiving by making this pumpkin bread. I guarantee that no one would be disappointed. I followed the banana bread recipe by replacing the mashed bananas with mashed pumpkin.

I also have an Olive Oil Squash Bread if you want a slightly different version with nutmeg and ginger powder.

The Banana Bread recipe is here. Here is the recipe in pictures of the Pumpkin Bread. So if any of you out there wondering about replacing pumpkin pie with something else that is much to your liking you got to try this recipe.

Whish the eggs till frothy, add the butter and sugar and whisk till well mixed.
In a mixing bowl, take all the dry ingredients add the mashed pumpkin, mix it in and add the whisked egg-butter-sugar to the flour.
Add the milk so the batter comes together and pour into greased baking pans.
Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated 350F oven.
Cool on a wire rack for at least half hour before slicing.

Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Nuts
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Baking Time:45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 cups of unbleached white whole wheat flour
2. 1 3/4 cups of Pumpkin Puree*
3. 2 tsp baking soda
4. 1/2 tsp baking piwder
5. 2 eggs
6. 1/4 cups of coarsely chopped roasted unsalted almonds
7. 1 cup of raw sugar
8. 6 tbsp of unsalted butter (bring to room temperature) + 1/4 tsp of salt, skip salt if using salted butter
9. 1 cup whole milk (use just enough to moisten the batter)
10. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. *Cut pumpkin, remove seeds and pith, peel and cut into 2-3 inch cubes and in a steamer steam for about 8 minutes, let cool and mash with a back of a spatula. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
4. Using a egg beater or hand whisk, whisk the egg till it is nice and fluffy.
5. Add butter, sugar and run the beater a bit longer so they mix well.
6. Get a 9 x 5 inch rectangular loaf pan ready by greasing the pan with butter and dust with flour if needed (I did not).
7. Add the mashed pumpkin into the flour and gently mix it in.
8. Now add the whisked ingredients in batches to the flour and with a spatula mix. Add as much milk to moisten the batter. Use only as much as needed. I needed the full cup of milk. Do not over mix.
9. Add the chocolate chips and almonds and gently mix so they spread evenly.
10. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
11. Bake for 45 minutes till a skewer or tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Delicious warm or cold.

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