Calcutta Street Food Ghugni Recipe is a Bengali snack recipe that tastes insanely amazing. This quick Bengali Ghugni recipe is a vegan recipe that can be enjoyed as a snack. Made from dried yellow peas and a blend of spices this is sure to make your palate go gaga!
Just how we Bengalis are sentimental about ‘phuchka’ the ghugni has a special place in our hearts. Ghugni is one of the most popular Calcutta Street Food. The roadside stalls near Vivekananda Park in Southern Avenue, South Calcutta has the best ghugni if you are looking to binge on some street food.
But can you believe it I am in Kolkata for the last 1 month and have not really eaten out or visited the Kolkata street food hotspots in the city due to COVID Scare! The numbers are astonishing, so you better stay home too.
Just like phuchka, you will find the ghugni served in shaal patar bati or bowls made with dried leaves. Sometimes, they are also served on paper plates and you eat them with those wooden ice cream spoons.
Bengali Ghugni Recipe | Kolkata Street Food Ghugni
Ghugni from being a popular household recipe forayed into the street food markets because of its ease of preparing and the spicy tangy taste. Traditionally, in Bengali households, ghugni was prepared in ‘dekchi’ where you slow cook it for a long time. However, we have moved over from the ‘dekchi’ to the pressure cooker. So the Bengali Ghugni Recipe is not time-consuming now.
You can make this Bengali Ghugni Recipe in an instant pot, crockpot or slow cooker if you have one and it will taste just the same. For convenience’s sake, we are using a pressure cooker for this recipe.
What are the main ingredients in the Calcutta Style Ghugni Recipe?
Do not confuse ghugni with chole or chana. It is not made from kabuli chana. Yellow Pea lentil or what we call motor dal is used for this recipe. You can find them in any grocery store. It is also called split pea lentil. You can find it online too. But do not buy Kabuli chana for this recipe.
Apart from these you require ingredients that are very easily available in any Indian Kitchen.
- Tomatoes
- Ginger
- Mustard Oil
- Regular spices – turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala
Does the Bengali Ghugni Recipe require prep?
Yes, like all hard lentils, Bengali Ghugni Recipe, does require some prep. Wash the lentils and soak them in water overnight. Once this soaked lentil is ready with you, you can make this recipe pretty quickly.
Once they are soaked overnight, they plump up like this.
How long do I cook the lentils?
Once the lentils have been soaked overnight, you need to add water and pressure cook it for three whistles. If you live in a place at a higher altitude, you might have to cook till 4 whistles.
What to do once Ghugni is ready?
Once it’s pressure cooked and ready you bring in the magic of street food and make it into a chat!
Serve it with chopped onions, chopped chili, imli chutney (sweet tamarind pulp) or just a squeeze of lemon to make it spicy and tangy and let your taste buds explode around it!
If you don’t want it as a street food snack, you can serve it along with poori or luchi for a Sunday breakfast!
How to make Bengali Ghugni ?
Ingredients
- yellow pea lentil (motor dal) - 1 cup, washed and soaked overnight
- ginger paste - 2 tsp
- cumin powder - 1 tsp
- coriander powder - 1 tsp
- turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp
- tomatoes - 2, roughly chopped
- potato - 1 small, peeled and cut into cubes
- salt to taste
- tamarind paste - 2 tsp
- salt - to taste
- mustard oil - 3 tbsp
- whole spices for tempering - 1 bay leaf, 1 whole red chili,
- chopped onion for garnish - 2 tsbp
Instructions
- soak the lentils overnight in enough water
- pressure cook soaked lentils till 3 whistles in medium flame
- in a pan heat the oil till smoking point and temper it with the whole spices
- add ginger paste, turmeric and chili powder and saute for 1 minute
- add cubed potatoes and saute them for 2 minutes.
- add in the tomato and salt and keep sauteing till tomatoes become pulpy
- add cumin and coriander powder and keep sauteing till the tomatoes release oil
- now add the cooked lentils along with its water and simmer it in medium flame till potatoes are completely tender
- Mash the lentils a little with the back of your ladle to make the ghugni little mushy
- add in the tamarind pulp for a tangy taste and garam masala for the flavours
Notes
1. Serve hot with chopped onion and green chili 2. You can also serve with poori or luchi 3. check the water level, don't add too much nor make it too dry
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I am taking part in #AtoZChallenge & #BlogchatterAtoZ where I am sharing 26 Authentic Bengali Recipes from my Mom’s Kitchen throughout April. Follow me and enjoy the Bengali food Festival here.
Here’s what I am Posting this April for #AtoZChallenge
A – Aamer Chutney
B – Basanti Pulao
C- Chingri Malaikari
D – Dhokar Dalna
E – Echor Chingrir Dalna
F – Fulkopir Dalna
Ghugni is one of my favorite gravies and we make it from kaala chana instead. loved the recipe a lot!Thankyou for sharing!
Yumm recipe, Tina..never tried Ghugni.It is similar to ragda chat, isn’t it? I will surely try it out. Thank you for sharing.
I am big fan of Ghungi. We call it Ragda and make it with yellow peas. Everything is similar but instead of mustard oil, I use regular oil.
i am drolling over the Ghugni picture already, it is making me hungry. This looks like a super yum and healthy snack option too. Trying out
I had heard about this recipe before but never tried it. it looks quite similar to punjabi chole. would love to give this as a try as it sounds really tasty to me. your theme for A2Z challenge is really interesting.
Wow I’m sure I have tasted it but never knew what it was called. It looks yummy. Do make it someday when I turn up at your place. Hahaha. Hope all is well with you.
I have never come across this dish definitely I will be trying out for this weekend looks delicious😋
I have never tried Bengali Chugni. You recipe is well put together and make the job easy. I am trying this at my home.
Though we are not Bengalis but are very much aware of this yummy recipe made with yellow peas. In fact last week I made this. My inlaws have lived in Bengal for a substantial amount of time so we do have a lot of Bengali food influence in our house too 🙂 Loved the recipe. Will try this next time.
Wow this is such a simple recipe and so easy to make. I am going to try making this coz Bengali is one cosine that I have not tried making earlier.
I actually got confused with the Kabuli chana, glad you clarified it in the beginning. This looks so delicious and tempting to me.
I will love to try Ghugni it looks so yum Tina and I am sure it is going to be super yum. Thanks for the recipe
I am drooling looking at all these pictures, I want to grab this from the picture and take a bite from this. Will be adding this in my next week’s menu and will make it for sure.
Tina mukha jal eshe gelo…. Bangalir mato ghugni keo banate pare na and tar ki swad. Thanks for reminding me of this Bangali Ghugni. In Vijaya Dashami sweets and ghugni we used to cherish in Bengal
Are these the same as chickpeas? I LOVE chickpeas. I also absolutely love Indian food – it is always so jam-packed with flavour.
The Calcutta style Ghugni looks so inviting and spicy too. The recipe too is really easy and convenient too, once you have taken care of the overnight soaking bit. A recipe for the weekend and appropriate for the current rainy weather in Bangalore.
I like Bengali cuisine and I have tried this dish before in one of the Bengali restaurant. This dish is yummy will like to try this recipe.
This post has made me hungry .ghugni looks amazing will definitely try it out this weekend
Thanks for yummy photos
This is my favorite recipe… But I was unaware that this is called ghugni. We make ghugni with green peas. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Oh my! That dish looks so tasty! Indian food has always been very made with some lovingly touch. The spices you use on every dish makes the flavour very unique and delectable that no one can resist! Appreciate you sharing this!
I have never been to calcutta yet but have heard about their food always and from everyone stays there. This dish is like one of specialities and famous there as my bengali friends told me. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I had heard about this recipe before but never tried it. I’m a punjabi and this dish looks quite similar to punjabi chole. Indian food is famous for it’s spices. I will definately going to try this as it looks really tasty to me.
You just made my mouth water. Loved the recipe and it also reminded me that its been months that I have prepared ghugni. Thanks for the reminder.
I have never tried Bengali gugni yet. This looks so tempting. I will surely try it at my place.
This sounds so delicious and chick peas are so filling! Thank you for the recipe.