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
