West Indian
Vangi Bhaji (Spiced Eggplant Bhaji)
Vangi Bhaji (Spiced Eggplant Bhaji) is West Indian home cooking, eaten at lunch and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre and the cooked vegetable. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 1 lb small eggplants
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 2 tbsp grated fresh coconut
- 1.5 tsp goda masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp jaggery
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup water
How to cook it
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and peanuts, frying until the peanuts turn golden.
- Add the cubed eggplant, then the turmeric, chili powder, and goda masala, and toss well to coat.
- Add the water, cover, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently now and then, until the eggplant is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the grated coconut and jaggery and cook uncovered for a few minutes until any extra water cooks off.
- Finish with cilantro and serve hot with bhakri or chapati.
Serve it with
A West Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Vangi Bhaji (Spiced Eggplant Bhaji), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
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What it is eaten with
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The sharp little thing
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Something cool and fresh
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Vangi Bhaji (Spiced Eggplant Bhaji) carries peanuts, sesame, and coconut. It is free of the remaining 7 allergens on that list.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | Yes | Akoori (Parsi Spiced Scrambled Eggs) |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | No | |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | Yes | Akoori (Parsi Spiced Scrambled Eggs) |
| Coconut | Yes | Akoori (Parsi Spiced Scrambled Eggs) |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Moderate
- Protein
- Low
- Food groups it covers
- Vegetables and Nuts and seeds
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Vangi Bhaji (Spiced Eggplant Bhaji) takes about 30 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is a fair bit of work. It is eaten at lunch and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.
Watch someone make it
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More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on eggplant, goda masala, and coconut.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from West India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.