Go Back
"Ghugni Bengali dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"

Ghugni - Bengali style dried yellow peas curry

Kitchen Mai
A yummy snack made with dried yellow peas - a favourite street food from Kolkata! Can also be paired with parathas and luchis for a hearty breakfast
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Soaking time for the peas 6 hrs
Total Time 50 mins
Course Brunch, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Bengali, Indian
Servings 5 people
Calories 362 kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Shallow cooking pot

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup motor dal (dried yellow peas)
  • 1 medium potato cut in 1 centimeter cubes
  • ½ cup onion finely chopped
  • ½ cup tomato finely chopped
  • 2 fresh green chilis finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin seed powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 green cardamom
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp mustard oil
  • 2 cups water to cook the dal
  • 2-3 tsp bhaja moshala* for garnishing
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak the motor dal overnight or for 8 hours, so that it plumps up
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Transfer this to a pressure cooker, add a tsp of salt and the turmeric. Cook until the dal/peas soften
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Heat the oil until it smokes, then lower the flame and add the whole spices. Once they become fragrant add the sliced onions
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • When onions turn light brown, add the chilis along with the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry until their raw smell goes off
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Add the potatoes and stir fry for 5-6 minutes. Next add all the spice powders and sugar along with the salt and 3-4 tbsp of water
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the tomatoes and wait until they soften
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Next pour in the cooked motor dal (dried yellow peas), tamarind paste and give it a good mix. Then add ¾ cups of water and simmer on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes. Check for salt, adjust if needed
    "Ghugni dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Turn the flame off and add the bhaja moshla. Let it sit covered for 5-7 minutes
    "Ghugni Bengali dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Serve your ghugni (dried yellow peas curry), hot with some chopped chilis, onions and coriander leaves, along with piping hot chai
    "Ghugni Bengali dried yellow peas curry - www.kitchenmai.com"
  • Extra tip: You can also serve the ghugni with some muri (puffed rice) and/or parathas/pooris (fried flatbreads)

Notes

  • *Bhaja moshala is a very fragrant Bengali spice powder, that is widely used in Bengali cuisine. To make this, dry roast 1 tablespoon cumin seeds and 5-6 dried red chilis, until fragrant. Cool this down and grind it to a fine powder
  • Make small batches of this fragrant spice powder so as to keep the fresh fragrant intact 
  • Use this to garnish snacks like - dahi vadas, ghugni, samosa stuffing etc. 
  • 1 cup = 250 millilitres
  • tbsp - tablespoon
  • tsp - teaspoon
Keyword bengali dried yellow peas recipe, bengali ghugni recipe, ghugni, ghugni bengali dried yellow peas curry, ghugni chaat, ghugni recipe