Ghugni is the ultimate Bengali street food popular especially in Kolkata, West Bengal. Traditionally ghugni is made with white peas or yellow vatana lentils found in Indian grocery stores. I found some split green peas in my recent shopping expedition and decided to use the ghugni flavors in this recipe. I cooked the green split peas in the slow cooker for a couple of hours. To shorten the cooking time you can do this process in a pressure cooker too. Ghugni is a wholesome meal and can be eaten with puffed rice (muri or murmura) or with some luchi or poori too. @sarchakra
COOK TIME: 2 & ½ hrs
PREP TIME: 15 mins
YIELDS: 5-6
Ingredients
- Green split peas 1lb
- Mustard oil 3 tbsp
- Salt
- Turmeric 1 tbsp
- Whole red chilies 3, broken
- Cumin seeds 2 tbsp, divided
- Green cardamom 2
- Cloves 5-6
- Bay leaf 1, broken
- Red chili powder 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder 1 tbsp
- Coriander powder 2 tbsp
- Coconut slices 9-10
- Onion 1, large, sliced
- Garlic 1 tbsp
- Ginger 1 tbsp
- Tomatoes 2, chopped
- Green chilies a few (according to taste) chopped
- Lime juice for serving, as needed
- Ghee 2 tbsp
Method
- Dry roast 1 tbsp of cumin seeds. Cool. Grind. Keep aside.
- Turn slow cooker to high. Add green split peas, salt and turmeric and 4 cups of water. Cook on high for 2 hours. Turn the slow cooker off.
- Heat mustard oil. Shallow fry the coconut slices till golden. Keep aside. In the same oil add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, whole red chilies, bay leaf, cloves and green cardamom.
- Add in sliced onions and sauté till slightly caramelized. Add in chopped tomatoes. Add red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Cook on high. With a masher, gently mash the tomatoes so they mix into the sauce. Add garlic, ginger and chopped green chilies. Let it cook.
- Add boiled green split peas. Add some more water and let it come to a boil. Adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with fried coconut, ghee and the roasted cumin seed powder. Squeeze some fresh lime juice before eating.
Notes
I use frozen baby coconut slices that are super convenient for dishes like these. I buy them from the local Indian grocery shop in Rochester.
sarchakra 
One thought