Ghugni is a mashed curry of white or yellow chickpeas made from dried peas that are soaked overnight. The curry is enjoyed with different main course dishes like Roti, Paratha, Puri, Vada, Idli, Chaulbara, and almost every other fried snack. In Odisha, Ghugni is paired with Dahi Vada to create the iconic Dahi Bara Aloo Dum.
It took us a while to perfect this recipe. Today, we bring you a quick and easy Ghugni Recipe that you can enjoy with almost anything.
- Preparation Time: At least 3 hours
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Want a healthy dinner: Jowar Idli, a Tasty Low-Calorie Dish
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Dried white or yellow peas – 100 grams for two bowls of ghugni
- Tomatoes -1 medium-sized
- Onions – 1 medium-sized
- Ginger – 1 inch
- Garlic – 5 cloves
- Cloves – 2
- Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 teaspoon
- Cardamom – 1
- Bay leaf – 1
- Green chilli – 1
- Dried red chilli – 1
- Turmeric powder
- Red chilli powder
- Potatoes (optional)
- Salt to taste
Cooking
- Soak the peas overnight or at least 2-3 hours.
- Boil them till they get fully mushy.
- Tip- use a pinch of soda to cook them faster
- In a kadhai or pan, pour some oil and put cumin seeds, bay leaf, dried red chilli, and let them crackle.
- Put thinly diced onion in the oil and cook until brown in the low flame.
- Mash ginger, garlic, and green chilli in a mortar. The paste needs to be rough. You can use ginger garlic paste, but it gives a different taste.
- When the onions are brown, put the roughly mashed paste.
- Cook them till the rawness of the garlic goes away or until they turn brown.
- Grind the tomato into a thin paste and pour into the pan.
- Add salt to let things cook faster. Continue using the low flame.
- Once everything dries up, add half a cup of water or the broth from the peas.
- Add half a teaspoon each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder, jeera powder, and coriander powder.
- Let everything cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the mashed boiled peas. You can also add boiled potatoes at this stage, but we left it out for a healthy recipe.
- Cook again for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve with freshly cut coriander leaves and diced onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Ghugni originate?
Ghugni probably originated in eastern India during the medieval era. It forms a major part of Bihari, Odia, and Bengali cuisine, and hence, it gets difficult to find an exact origin.
What can I eat with Ghugni?
Ghugni is best enjoyed with fritters like Samosa, Aloo Chop, Vada, Puri, and even non-vegetarian food like fried boiled eggs, mutton keema, and fried and shredded chicken.
